Rio Arai
Rio Arai was born in Tokyo in 1999. She attended the Tokyo University of the Arts on a special scholarship and graduated at the top of her class, and received the Acanthus Award and the Mitsubishi Estate Award, granted towards outstanding students at the university. She is also the recipient of the Fukushima Scholarship, Ataka Scholarship, and Miyata Ryohei Scholarship. In 2017, Rio received the Tokyo University of the Arts Munetsugu Tokuji Special Scholarship. She is a graduate of Haute École de Musique de Lausanne.
Rio has won several prestigious competitions such as First Prize in string section and the Audience Prize at the 15th Tokyo Music Competition, First Prize in violin section, Leucadia Prize, Sumi Prize, and Kuroyanagi Prize at the 87th Japan Music Competition. She placed 6th in the violin section of the 7th Sendai International Music Competition.
She has been awarded the Excellence Award of the 11th Music Academy in Miyazaki (2018), the IMA Music Prize at the 2018 Ishikawa Music Academy, and the Excellence Award and Music Director’s Award at the 12th Music Academy in Miyazaki (2019).
Rio Arai performed in the 386th “Hotel Okura Lobby Concert 25” series. Upon the completion of the renovation of the historic hotel, renamed The Okura Tokyo, Rio was invited to perform in their inaugurating Special Concert. She was also chosen as a soloist for the international project, “FENDI Renaissance – Anima Mundi.”
Rio has performed with numerous prestigious orchestras such as NHK Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta de Lausanne, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Gunma Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia.
While studying abroad in Switzerland, she actively engaged in charity programs outside of her performance activities. Rio also appears in numerous media including radio and televised broadcast such as TV Asahi’s “Untitled Concert” and NHK. She is the winner of the 17th Best Debutant Prize, which is awarded to young creative artists from diverse fields.
Since 2018 she has been performing on the “J. B. Gugadagnini” (1779) on a two-year loan from the ITOH Foundation.
Recipient of the 2020-22 Yamaha Music Foundation Grant, and 2020-22 Munetsugu Tokuji Overseas Studies Grant.
Rio Arai has studied with Gérard Poulet, Takashi Nagamine, Kazuki Sawa, Takako Yamazaki, Masafumi Hori, and Natsumi Tamai. She currently studies with Janine Jansen.
Rio Arai plays a J.F.Pressenda 1837, on loan from Nippon Violin.
- @rio__vn
- @rioarai_vn
- YouTube
- Rio Arai
DISCOGRAPHY
