Masuko Ushioda
Masuko Ushioda (1942-2013) is a Japanese violinist. She taught at the New England Conservatory from 1974 to 2013.
Early life
Ushioda was born on April 4, 1942 in Shenyang, Manchuria. She was a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music where she practiced violin under conducting of Hideo Saito. When she turned 18, she went to Saint Petersburg, where she was under guidance of Mikhail Weiman at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and then took violin lessons with Joseph Szigeti in Switzerland.[1][2]
Competitions and recordings
Later on, she won the first prize at the Mainichi Competition in Tokyo and ten years later became a recipient of the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1963 she also won Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. Her music was sold under Angel, Toshiba and Melodiya record labels.[1]
Personal life
While playing at the Tanglewood Music Festival she met Laurence Lesser, to whom she was married five years later. After they got married though, she was always away for half a year with the Saito Kinen Orchestra. When she didn't have any festivals to attend she and her husband would travel to Egypt and ride in a boat on the Nile. They also enjoy discussing food, which was more important than music-related topic. Due to her cooking skills her daughter Erika Lesser became an Executive Director at Slow Food.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Masuko Ushioda". New England Conservatory. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ^ a b "NEC Mourns the Death of Long-time Violin Faculty Masuko Ushioda". New England Conservatory. May 30, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.