Danjulo Ishizaka

Danjulo Ishizaka is today ranked among the most outstanding cellists of his generation. At a young age, Ishizaka had won numerous prizes at international competitions. Particularly noteworthy was the first prize at the renowned international ARD Competition in Munich, the international Gaspar Cassado Competition in Spain and the international Lutoslawski Competition in Warsaw. He was also the first prize-winner at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim.

Ishizaka’s greatest influence has been his teacher and mentor Boris Pergamenschikow. The legendary Cellist Mstislav Rostropovich supported Ishizaka by inviting him to perform under his baton and influenced him through lessons. He described Ishizaka as “phenomenal in his technical ability, perfect in his musical creative power”.

Ishizaka has performed as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors and performed chamber music with some of the most outstanding musicians.

Ishizaka has been honoured with the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award, one of Japan’s biggest music awards, presented by the Sony Music Foundation in Tokyo. His CD recordings have received prizes including the Gramophone Award and the “Echo Klassik” award. He is currently Professor for Violoncello at the Berlin University of the Arts (UDK Berlin).

Danjulo performs on the Wolfgang Schnabl cello, formerly played by Boris Pergamenschikow and provided by the Kronberg Academy, as well as the Stradivarius cello ‘Feuermann’ (1730) on loan to him from the Nippon Music Foundation, previously played by the legendary cellist Emanuel Feuermann.