Sumire Kudo
Cellist Sumire Kudo is an active chamber musician, and a soloist, also a recent addition to the New York Philharmonic.
Most recently, Sumire received the “Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award” of Sony Music Foundation, chosen as the most promising cellist by Seiji Ozawa and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi in 2005.
A dedicated new music performer, Sumire has premiered many world premiere pieces as a member of New York based new music group counter)induction.
By the time of her arrival in the United States in 2000, Sumire had already established herself in Japan with widespread concertizing, a record deal, and professional management. Her honors include first prize at the 1992 Sapporo Junior Cello Competition, second prize at the 62nd Japan Music Competition in 1993, the Nagano-Aspen Music Festival Award in 1994, and the New Artist’s Award from the Ogaki Music Festival in 1997. She has appeared in solo performances with Toho Gakuen Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo City Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Kyoto Philharmonic Orchestra, Okayama Symphony Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic, Nagoya Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Sumire has participated in numerous music festivals including the Nagano-Aspen Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Santa Fe Music Festival, SummerFest La Jolla, the Miyazaki Music Festival, Music@Menlo Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival.
Before joining New York Philharmonic, Sumire was the cellist of Avalon String Quartet. She had taught at Indiana University South Bend from 2004 to 2006 where quartet has been the artist-in-residence, after serving as an assistant to the Juilliard Quartet for two years at The Juilliard School. In 2001, Sumire’s second solo CD, “Love of Beauty” was released by the Philips Label and chosen for the Best Recording Award by Record Geijutsu magazine in Japan.
Born in Tokyo Japan, Sumire started playing Cello at age of 4 under the instruction of her father, Cellist Akiyoshi Kudo. She is a graduate of Toho School in Tokyo and The Juilliard School in New York, and studied with Yoritoyo Inoue, Hakuro Mori, Koichiro Harada, Harvey Shapiro, and the Juilliard Quartet.