庄司紗矢香
Sayaka Shoji
庄司紗矢香出生於日本東京的藝術家庭，三歲移民義大利，五歲開始學習小提琴。回到日本後，在全國的學生音樂比賽中得到第一名，開始得到日本樂界的注意。1995年起，庄司紗矢香再度回到歐洲學習，1998年前往德國柯隆音樂及舞蹈大學師從查哈‧布隆，1999年，當時年僅十六歲的日本小提琴家庄司紗矢香在義大利熱那亞帕格尼尼小提琴大賽勇奪金牌，不但是第一位在這個比賽得到冠軍的日本人，也是比賽史上最年輕的首獎得主，自此成為本新生代最具代表性的小提琴家，並且得到指揮家梅塔的賞與提拔。梅塔曾讚嘆道：「庄司紗矢香擁有非常敏銳的觀察利，以及無懈可擊的技巧，聆聽她的音樂演奏時，你會發現她非常獨特的精神力，她將音樂中最難表現的靈魂作了非常完美的詮釋，她幾乎是將自己完全投入所演奏的曲目中。」
Sayaka Shoji was born in an artistic family in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of three, she moved to Italy, where she began studying the violin at five. After returning to Japan, she won first place in a national student music competition, attracting attention in the Japanese music scene. In 1995, Shoji returned to Europe for further studies and, in 1998, went to Germany to study under Zakhar Bron at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. In 1999, the then sixteen-year-old Japanese violinist won the gold medal at the Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy, becoming not only the first Japanese winner of the competition but also the youngest first-prize winner in its history. This achievement established her as one of the most representative violinists of her generation and garnered the admiration and support of conductor Zubin Mehta. Mehta once praised her, saying, "Sayaka Shoji possesses extremely keen observational skills and impeccable technique. When you listen to her play, you can sense her unique spiritual strength. She delivers a perfect interpretation of the soul within the music, almost completely immersing herself in the pieces she performs."
