Chamber Music - AKA Duo

Come and get immersed in Steinway & Sons world of sound in an intimate concert setting

Concert Series presented by Stefan Mendl

Aka Duo, founded in 2018 by Seina Matsuoka (violin) and Yuto Kiguchi (piano), who met at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. You study at the mdw with Prof. Stefan Mendl, pianist of the Vienna Piano Trio, and Prof. Peter Schuhmayer, the first violinist of the Artis Quartet. The duo's name "Aka" has two meanings. One is "Aka", which means RED in Japanese, the other is an abbreviation of the English word "also known as". "Each of us is active individually, but we also want to bring what we have won and develop the duo further. Ultimately, we want to be known as the "Aka-Duo" that shines as hot and strong as a red flame."The name 'Aka-Duo' reflects this wish.

In 2022, their career began with a first prize and the audience prize at the 26th International Chamber Music Competition in Rospigliosi (Italy). In 2023, the ensemble won first prize and a special prize at the Pinerolo Torino International Chamber Music Competition (Italy), one of the most important international chamber music competitions, as the first ensemble consisting exclusively of Japanese musicians. Jury member Lukas Hagen, leader of the Hagen String Quartet, praised the ensemble with the words: "No one can play R. Strauss' sonatas better than them." In the same year, they became the first Asians to win the first prize, unanimously awarded by the jury, the Miłosz Magin Prize and the prize for the best interpretation of contemporary music in the chamber music category at the Third International Polish Music Competition. In 2025, they received the Aoyama Music Prize “Baroque Saal Prize”. This is an important award in the field of chamber music in Japan. They have been invited to numerous festivals in Europe, including Poland (organized by the Chopin Institute: Chopin and His European Music Festival 2024, Karol Szymanowski Festival, etc.), Italy, among others, in non-European countries, in the USA (Paderewski Festival, among others) and in Japan.

PROGRAM: Beethoven Violin Sonatas