This month we welcome a new member to the Orchestra, Mizuho Ueyama, who joins the Viola section. She opened up about her early musical memories and what she’s most looking forward to in the year ahead with the LSO.
Read Mizuho’s full biography
At what age did you start playing your instrument, and what made you choose it? Were there any memorable early experiences that made you realise you wanted to do this as a career?
I started playing the violin when I was four years old. I still remember asking my parents for months and months to play the violin because I saw the instrument featured in the final scene of Disney’s Three Little Pigs. For several years during my high school years, I participated in an orchestra called the Super Kids Orchestra. My encounter with the conductor from this orchestra, Yutaka Sado, made me decide to pursue a career as a musician. I had always been interested in studying viola so after my performance degree on violin, I switched to viola and attained a performance degree in that instrument.
Do you have any viola heroes?
I really respect Tabea Zimmermann and I love her performances.
What are you most looking forward to in the forthcoming LSO season? Any conductors, soloists or repertoire that catch your eye? Any stand-out tour destinations?
I am really looking forward to collaborating with Sir Antonio Pappano (LSO Chief Conductor Designate). Even though I lived in Italy for twelve years, I’ve never played under his baton! I am also very excited about the forthcoming tour to Santa Barbara, because it will be my first time in the US.
If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self?
I would like to advise my past self to go and visit more places in Japan. Since I started living in Europe, I feel there is so much I do not know about my home country.
Are there any other interesting things about you we should know? Do you play any other instruments? Do you have any hidden talents?
I’m quite the bookworm! I love reading, and I have too many books to keep in my flat. I also like to draw things in my free time.
If you had to pick, what is your favourite piece of orchestral music? And what is your favourite piece of non-classical music?
My favourite piece of orchestral music is Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No 2. When I played this piece for the first time in my university orchestra in Japan, I was moved to tears. For non-classical music, I like listening to jazz or Japanese pop music at home.
