
Mary
Sato

I started taking solfege and ballet lessons at the age of four and learned to play the violin a year later, at the age of five. Even as a child, I played in orchestras and discovered the joy, wonder and challenges of ensemble playing. From the age of 10 to 20, I was a member of the Tokyo Junior Orchestra.
From 2012 to 2016, I took master classes at the Kusatsu Summer International Music Academy in Japan with renowned teachers such as W.Hink, M.Wolf and S.Gawriloff. Through these experiences, I deepened my musical education and found my way to classical music.
In the summer of 2018, I was selected with a full scholarship to attend the International Summer Academy of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where I attended master classes with Rainer Küchl and gained experience in the orchestra academy. A year later, in 2019, I continued my education by receiving lessons from Professor Küchl and Professor Markus Wolf in Salzburg and Munich as a training scholarship holder of the Fukushima Scholarship Foundation.
In 2020, I successfully completed the Violin Soloist Course at the Kunitachi University of Music in Tokyo, followed by the Soloist Diploma Course in 2022 at the same institution. During my studies, I was selected to perform at both the graduation and debutante concerts due to my good performances and took on the role of concertmaster in the student orchestra.
In May 2023, I received a scholarship from the Sawakami Opera Arts Foundation and trained at the Pavarotti Opera House of Modena, Filarmonica Di Modena in Italy. I then performed as an orchestra member in the open-air opera "Trovatore" on a tour of the Horyuji Temple, a World Heritage Site in Nara, Japan.
After completing my bachelor's degree, I engaged in a variety of activities, including solo concerts, chamber music, participating in children's music courses sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, performing as an extra in professional orchestras, and teaching violin to children.
Since October 2023, I have been working as an au pair in Munich while studying with Professor M.Wolf. My long-standing passion for ballet and the associated love of ballet and opera music motivate me to become a member of the German Opera Orchestra. I aspire to build a bridge between German and Japanese classical music as an artist, especially since opera and ballet culture is not so widespread in Japan.