The Nashville Symphony has appointed JUN IWASAKI concertmaster, effective with the start of the 2011-12 season in September. Currently concertmaster of the Portland-based Oregon Symphony, Iwasaki began violin studies at age five in his native Tokyo, and made his debut as an orchestral soloist with the Peoria (Ill.) Symphony Orchestra at age twelve. In 2002 he and his quartet won the grand prize at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in Pasadena. He has performed extensively as a chamber musician and appeared with numerous U.S. orchestras including Ohio’s Blossom Festival Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, and Cleveland Pops Orchestra; the Rome Philharmonic in Georgia; the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts; and the Plano Symphony Orchestra in Texas. Iwasaki holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with William Preucil and in 2006 participated in CIM’s Concertmaster Academy.
Posted June 7, 2011
