ASO Concertmaster, Natsuko Yoshimoto

What does a Concertmaster do?

The Concertmaster, also known as the leader of the orchestra, is the violinist who occupies the first violin chair. The crucial leadership role of the Concertmaster is as a link between the Conductor and musicians, setting a style of playing for the strings which guides the orchestra towards the ideal performance.

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About Natsuko Yoshimoto

Born in Japan, Natsuko began playing violin at the age of three and won a full scholarship to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England when she was eleven. She received direct guidance and teaching under Lord Menuhin and Wen Zhou Li. She continued her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with a distinction in 1998.

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra appointed Natsuko Yoshimoto, one of Australia’s most sought after violin virtuosos, as Concertmaster in 2009.

ASO Chief Executive Rainer Jozeps said “The Concertmaster is probably the most important position in the orchestra, and for this reason it is often the most difficult to fill. It requires a violinist with a virtuosic playing technique. Just as the captain of a sporting team provides on–field leadership so, too, the Concertmaster provides authority and leadership to all the musicians on the concert stage”.

“Natsuko Yoshimoto possesses all of these qualities and will help the ASO realise its full musical potential under the baton of Chief Conductor Arvo Volmer” he said.

Of learning of her successful appointment to the ASO Natsuko Yoshimoto said, “I’m incredibly excited by this new chapter with the ASO. I feel a special affinity with Adelaide audiences, having had the joy of performing for them over the years. I’m pleased that this relationship will continue. I look forward to working with the ASO musicians and Arvo Volmer”.