Tour in Italy with Sayaka Shoji and the Streicherakademie Bozen — the beautiful space between music and ...

06 - 12 Aug 2025

When we arrived at the second afternoon rehearsal, Sayaka was already in the corner of the hall, practicing quietly.

The rehearsal started. And she spoke — greeting us in a voice both deep and soft, unexpectedly so.

When she started playing, my childhood memories flooded my mind: listening to all of her recordings, reading about her in newspapers and magazines, and watching many of her documentaries. For those who grew up in Japan, who studied violin in my generation, she is definitely everyone's Akogare (a person to admire in Japanese). It felt unreal to me that she was playing right in front of me. 

Every day, for 7 days, I saw her bow stroking on the strings — she never made a sound without meaning, never pretentious. Every note—and every rest—was true. I cannot describe with words how lucky and grateful I am to see, hear and feel her approach to the music, and the dialogues with music, so closely.

What I felt the most special was her pure dedication — sincerity towards music in a dimension beyond any I knew. The space between her and music was something so honest, delicate, and yet very powerful.

Crowning the special week with Mozart's Violin Concerti and Johann Christian Bach's Sinfonie in G minor, we also played two quartets with Veronique, Anuschka and Anna (Fanny in Es dur and Felix in a moll Op.13, The Mendelssohn siblings) in a matinee concert on the Sunday at noon in a place with breathtakingly beautiful mountain views, built in 1614 (if I remember correctly). The sensation of the summer wind on my skin, the sight of the beautiful sun glowing over dancing trees, and the scent of grass through the open window — all while I was playing — became something to be cherished in my memory.

I am so grateful for this opportunity, meeting all wonderful musicians, making new friends, each kind, open, and radiant. 

 Ultimately, I believe music turns hearts not just kinder and warmer, but deeper and brighter—when we face it truthfully.

Hugs from Basel,

Yuko 

P.S. The highlight of my week was also spending time daily with Veronique—one of my dearest best friends—just as we used to back in Cologne years ago. She let me feel at home and safe, always.