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
”barnstormingly technically accomplished and expressively charismatic”
- Gramophone
Praised for his unique yet natural musicality and superlative technique, cellist Michiaki Ueno spellbinds audiences with his eloquent performances and charismatic stage presence. As the First Prize winner of the Geneva International Music Competition, where he also received three special awards including the Young Audience Prize for his sensational performance of the Lutosławski Cello Concerto, Ueno has firmly established himself as one of the most promising artists in the classical music scene.
As a highly sought-after 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. He has collaborated with renowned conductors including Charles Dutoit, Tugan Sokhiev, and Jonathan Nott. As a chamber musician, has also shared the stage with acclaimed artists such as Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, and Augustin Dumay.
Ueno has appeared at prominent international music festivals such as La Folle Journée de Nantes, Montpellier Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, and Beethovenfest Bonn, where he was awarded the prestigious Beethoven-Ring in 2024. He is also a regular guest at the Argerich Music Festival in Beppu, and Takefu International Music Festival. His recording career began ambitiously with the release of his debut album featuring the complete Bach Cello Suites, followed by ORIGIN, an album dedicated to unaccompanied works by Japanese composers. Furthermore, he has been honoured with numerous accolades in Japan, including the Idemitsu Music Award, the Nippon Steel Music Award, and the Hideo Saito Memorial Foundation Award.
Born in Paraguay in 1995, Ueno spent his early childhood in Spain. After moving to Japan, he 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 at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, catapulting him onto the international stage, followed by first prizes at the Romanian International Music Competition and the International Johannes Brahms Competition.
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. He is currently based in Düsseldorf.
Ueno performs on the 1730 "Feuermann" Antonio Stradivari cello, generously loaned by the Sasakawa Music Foundation, and a Tourte bow on loan from Hiroshi Sumino.