About Risa
Risa is a versatile classical musician who aspires to spread the love for music amongst upcoming generations
Risa Michelle Sekine
Risa Michelle Sekine completed her Master of Music in Performance degree at the Royal College of Music in London in 2022. She also obtained a First Class with Honours degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, having studied on a full scholarship under the tutelage of Nathaniel Vallois and Oliver Wille.
Risa gained a position on the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's new Career Accelerator Fellowship programme for the 22-23 season. She also regularly plays with the Welsh National Opera, Royal Ballet Sinfonia as well as the Northern Ballet. She also played with musicians of the English National Ballet and English National Opera under the baton of Alexander Ingram, for the Dance for Ukraine charity ballet gala held at the London Coliseum which was curated by ballet dancers Alina Cojocaru and Ivan Putrov.
Born into a musical family in Tokyo, she started playing the violin when she was three years old. She has previously won the Kamakura Music Club prize and has been a finalist in multiple competitions including the Japan Player’s Competition, Kanagawa Music Concour and Japan Classical Music Competition. In 2012, she joined the Senzoku College of Music Junior Department where she studied with Sugino Kobayashi, and completed the course in 2016. During her time on the course, she was a part of the Senzoku Junior Orchestra and was a leader for the ensemble in the years 2013 to 2015. She has been a part of various chamber ensembles and orchestras in both Tokyo and Birmingham, which has shaped her love of ensemble playing. She has attended various music festivals including the Kawaguchiko Violin Seminar and the YEK Ensemble Academy.
During her time in Birmingham, besides various Conservatoire projects, she has played in the CBSO Youth Orchestra- leading the 2nd Violin section in the 2018 course- as well as led the Orchestra of Solihull Schools in Concert as part of one of the many outreach projects she has participated in. She recently played in the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Strings Orchestra led by violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky. In 2018, Risa was accepted onto the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Training Scheme, in which she attended eight rehearsals with the CBSO as a Tutti Second Violin member. Risa has also played in masterclasses with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Daniele Gaede, Bin Huang, Sachika Mizuno, Professor John Gilbert, and Linus Roth.