Anna Hashimoto

Still only nineteen, Anna Hashimoto is developing an enviable international career as a soloist. She made her Barbican Hall concerto debut at the age of 15 with the English Chamber Orchestra in December 2004. She was the winner of the Parthenon Tama Prize earlier that year at the Japan Clarinet Competition. From a total of 170 entries with no age limit she was the youngest participant. In 2003 she came first and won all three special prizes at the Japan Clarinet Society's Young Clarinettists Competition.

Anna was born in Japan in 1989 and moved to London six months later. She started playing the piano at the age of 4 and clarinet when she was 8. She studied at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music for six years under Charles Hine, where she was awarded the Else & Leonard Cross Memorial Scholarship and the Esther Coleman Prize. She has appeared at London's Wigmore Hall on numerous occasions, playing solo and chamber music. She has played in the Cadogan Hall in the presence of HRH Princess Alexandra. At a Gala Concert with Princess Caroline of Monaco at the British Embassy in Paris she performed the Mozart Clarinet Quintet on basset clarinet in April 2006.

At the International ClarinetFest 2005 in Tokyo, Anna had the honour of giving the Japanese Premiere of Michael Daugherty's clarinet concerto Brooklyn Bridge, which was commissioned by the International Clarinet Association. This performance was broadcast live on FM-Tokyo, and received great reviews in numerous music magazines. During this Fest she also played the Tartini/Jacob Concertino with the British Clarinet Ensemble with whom she recorded a CD of the work.

Anna has given many recitals in the UK and has performed concertos with numerous orchestras, including performances of the Mozart Concerto with orchestras such as the Japan Chamber Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra, the Francaix Concerto at LSO St Luke's, and performances of Weber and Spohr concertos. In June 2008 he made her Tokyo debut recital at the Bunka Kaikan and in July she worked with the Alberni Quartet at the Grove Park Music Festival. Forthcoming engagements include concertos with orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra and Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a recital in the New Artists series at the Kioi Hall in December, as the first clarinet soloist. Anna is now under the management of Euroarts-Japan.

Anna was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied at the Purcell School of Music under the Government Music and Dance Scheme. She is now continuing her studies at the Royal Academy of Music as an Associated Board Scholar from September 2007 as the only pupil of internationally renowned soloist Michael Collins.

Anna plays on Peter Eaton International model clarinets and basset clarinet. "I was first introduced to Peter Eaton International clarinets by my mentor Michael Collins in 2005. If clarinets were animals, Peter Eaton's would be wild tigers compared to other makes being tame kittens. They have unlimited potential and grow with you as you mature. I feel very privileged to own one of the very few Peter Eaton International bassetts and was proud to bring it to Japan with me on Mozart's 250th Anniversary. It's so comfortable and natural to play, with huge resonance that can fill a large auditorium!"

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