Mayumi Hirasaki
Violin
Mayumi Hirasaki began her violin studies in her home country at the Tokyo State University of Fine Arts and Music.
In 2001, her studies took her to Germany to study with Prof. Daniel Gaede at the Nuremberg-Augsburg University of Music, where she graduated with distinction and completed her master class diploma.
Inspired by early music, she studied baroque violin at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich with Prof. Mary Utiger and then at the Lucerne University of Music with Prof. Giuliano Carmignola. She also passed the C examination for church musicians in the Archdiocese of Bamberg and then studied harpsichord in Munich with Prof. Christine Schornsheim.
Mayumi Hirasaki has won prizes at numerous competitions in Japan and Europe, including the International J.S. Bach Competition in Leipzig and the Early Music Competition in Bruges, Belgium. She has been concertmaster at Concerto Köln since 2011, where she has worked with conductors and soloists such as Peter Dijkstra, Andrea Marcon, Pablo Heras-Casado, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Giuliano Carmignola, Dorothee Oberlinger, Midori Seiler, Simone Kermes, Vivica Genaux and Valer Sabadus. She is also a regular guest with various baroque orchestras and ensembles such as Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Dresdner Festspielorchester, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Kammerorchester Basel, Gaechinger Cantorey Stuttgart, Neue Düsseldorfer Hofmusik, La Divina Armonia, Il Suonar Parlante and Il Gardellino with concerts in Europe, USA and Japan.
Her chamber music partners include performers such as Christine Schornsheim, Lorenzo and Vittorio Ghielmi, Francis Jacob, Michael Freimuth, Marcel Ponseele, Maurice Steger and Jan de Winne.
Her numerous CD recordings include recordings of music by Johann Sebastian Bach (“Bach in the romantic manner” with Christine Schornsheim / Genuin, double concerto with Giuliano Carmignola & Concerto Köln / DG-Archiv, E major violin concerto with Lorenzo Ghielmi & La Divina Armonia / Passacaille, 6 Brandenburg Concertos with Concerto Köln/Berlin Classics), Antonio Vivaldi’s (,, Barbarian Beauty,, with Vittorio Ghielmi & Il Suonar Parlante / Passacaille, “Violino e Mandolino in Italia” with Anna Torge and Il Cantino / CPO) or Charles Avison’s (“Concerti grossi after Scarlatti” with Concerto Köln / Berlin Classics).
Between 2009 and 2018, Mayumi Hirasaki held a teaching position for baroque violin and viola at the Folkwang University of the Arts Essen.
In 2017 she received a professorship for baroque violin and viola at the Mozarteum University Salzburg.