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Maya Iwabuchi

Violin Lecturer

Since her first concert at age five, Maya has enjoyed an international career as a solo violinist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. Her performances have taken her to major concert halls worldwide such as the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, Musikverein in Vienna, Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall in New York City and Suntory Hall in Tokyo name a few.

Highlights for Maya as a soloist include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and she has appeared in numerous renowned music festivals such as the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Bath and Chichester festivals, and the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove. The Strad has hailed her playing as ‘simply brilliant’ and the Times ‘gorgeous’, and she continues to receive praise from the press.

A committed chamber musician, Maya has been a member of Mobius Ensemble since 2004, and she has also collaborated with artists such as the Vellinger Quartet, Steven Isserlis and Gil Shaham. Her recordings as part of Vikram Seth’s “An Equal Music’ CD compilation are regularly broadcast by the BBC and Classic FM. Maya has garnered much admiration in her role as leader from artists and critics alike and has been regularly invited to lead orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Cadaqués and the John Wilson Orchestra.

After 18 distinguished years, Maya ended her tenure as Leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2012, having led major conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Gustavo Dudamel, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kurt Sanderling. Since 2011, she has devoted her time as Joint Leader, along with James Clark, of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra whilst taking much pleasure from a renewed life in Scotland with her husband and many pheasants!

Maya Iwabuchi began violin lessons at the age of two. Her main influences that remain integral to her working life are Professors Alice Schoenfeld and Rodney Friend.