BIOGRAPHY
"Passages éthérés et climax explosifs ont trouvé sous son archet une plasticité saisissante et un nerf tenace."
"Ethereal passages and explosive climaxes sounded engaging, flexible, and intense under his bow."
- Tribune de Geneve
「チェロがよく喋っていた。滔々と、自分の言葉で。」
"The cello was talking. Eloquently, in his own words."
- Asahi Shimbun
Michiaki Ueno's eloquent performance and charisma spellbind the audience. He has been praised for his unique yet natural musicality and superlative technique. As the winner of the Geneva International Music Competition, Ueno has proven to be one of the most promising artists in the classical music scene.
Born in Paraguay in 1995, he spent his childhood in Spain. After moving to Japan, Ueno made his debut as a soloist at the prestigious Suntory Hall at just eleven years old, performing the Lalo Cello Concerto. This led to his win in the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, catapulting him onto the international scene. His accolades include first prizes at the Romanian International Music Competition, where he also received the Romanian Embassy Prize and the Romanian Radio Culture Prize, and at the International Johannes Brahms Competition, among others. He attracted the world’s attention at the Geneva International Music Competition with his sensational performance of the Lutoslawski Cello Concerto, winning the first prize with three special awards, including the Young Audience Prize.
Educated under the tutelage of Hakuro Mohri and Pieter Wispelwey, Ueno further honed his musicality as an artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, under the guidance of Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling.
As a soloist, Ueno has performed with leading orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Warsaw Philharmonic, KBS Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, under renowned conductors including Charles Dutoit and Jonathan Nott. He has shared the stage in chamber music performances with acclaimed artists such as Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, Augustin Dumay, and José Gallardo.
Ueno is invited to music festivals around the world such as La Folle Journée de Nantes, Montpellier Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, Argerich Music Festival Beppu, and the Beethovenfest Bonn, where he was awarded the Beethoven-Ring 2024. His recording career began ambitiously with the release of his world debut album, featuring the complete Bach suites at the age of 26. He has been honored with numerous awards, including the Idemitsu Music Award, the Nippon Steel Music Award, and the Hideo Saito Memorial Foundation Award.
Ueno performs on two fine instruments: a 1730 "Feuermann" Stradivarius, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation, and a 1758 P.A. Testore cello, on loan from the Munetsugu Collection.