Mitsuru Kubo is a homegrown, dynamic musician.
You could say she began studying music in the womb, while her mother studied piano performance in college. A native of Seattle, Mitsuru grew up in a home that revolved around music; she even lived with her first piano teacher - her mother! She rebelled against convention at the age of 7 by choosing the viola as her primary instrument. The highlight of her early musician life was as a devoted member of the Seattle Youth Symphonies, performing with them frequently at Benaroya Hall, Key Arena, Meany Hall, and Safeco Field.
At age 12, she travelled abroad to study in Seoul, South Korea at the prestigious and competitive Sun Hwa Performing Arts School. Upon returning to Seattle five years later, she studied with Helen Callus at the University of Washington – Mitsuru later followed Professor Callus to the University of California, Santa Barbara. While in California, Mitsuru was Assistant Director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony’s Preparatory String Orchestra and was a frequent freelancer. She went on to continue her education at the Peabody Institute of Music under the tutelage of Victoria Chiang, completing her Graduate Performance Diploma.
Mitsuru has attended festivals all over the country, including Marrowstone Music Festival, the Heifetz Institute, Centrum Chamber Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival. Her performance opportunities include playing for classical music greats Yo-Yo Ma, Marin Alsop, Richard Goode, Gil Shaham and James Galway to name a few. Her performance credits include venues such as Kennedy Center, the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC.
Recently, Mitsuru has been sought after as a soloist. She has collaborated with conductor Matthew Aubin and composer Jeremy Crosmer to premiere new works with both the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and The Chelsea Symphony. Mitsuru also continues to expand on a range of musical styles. Mitsuru co-wrote and recorded an album with alternative pop/rock band Sonic Cult, with whom she toured across the US, Korea and Japan. Mitsuru is a founding member of the BeneSori String Quartet, members of which she met on the set of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, playing for Imagine Dragons. She is also a regular member of The Chelsea Symphony, New England Symphonic Ensemble and Westchester Music of India Group.
In addition to her performance career, Mitsuru is a dedicated teacher. Along with her private studio, she is on faculty at Love Viola USA, Friends With Music and the 4Strings Music Festival. Future engagements include a residency at Washington State University and a return appearance with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra.
Spotlighting Guest Conductor Matthew Aubin & Guest Solois Mitsuru Kubo, Viola.
Repertoire
Selections from Carmen by Georges Bizet
Masks: A Heroine’s Tale by Jeremy Crosmer
Symphony No. 2 by P.I. Tchaikovsky
History is not always known for its preservation of women’s contributions to their fields, and music is no exception. Led by Co-Artistic Director Matthew Aubin and Artistic Director Laureate Miguel Campos Neto, this all-French program sees the US premiere of Augusta Holmès’s Roland Furieux, a fantastical work from 1867 based on Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso that only received its first performance in 2019. Saturday evening also features two works originally written for saxophone and orchestra by women whose music is still largely under recognized today: Paule Maurice’s programmatic Tableaux de Provence, featuring Rob Wilkerson, and Fernande Decruck’s Sonata in C# for viola and orchestra, performed by Mitsuru Kubo. Camille Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Candance Chien rounds out the weekend.
Maestro Aubin celebrates his personal connection to French culture with a mixture of French and American music. Aubin welcomes back Mitsuru Kubo and Jeremy Crosmer to perform hidden gems by Fernande Decruck, a composer near and dear to his heart. Musicians from the LMYO join the SMSO on music from Aaron Copland’s Rodeo. The season closes with Gershwin’s An American in Paris.
The BeneSori Quartet is the resident ensemble of the BeneSori Music Foundation. The BeneSori Quartet has quickly established themselves as one of the most intense and vibrant quartets of their generation. Hailing from internationally renowned institutions, the founding members include violinists Khullip Jeung and Jisun Kang, violist Mitsuru Kubo Hunter, and cellist Gloria Kim. Click to learn more.
Or send an email at mitsuruhunter@gmail.com
