Kei-kun : the seeker

Kei Shirai, violin& concertmaster

2nd prize ARD music competition | lives in Vienna | Concertmaster with Kobe City Chamber Orchestra | Chambermusic with the Stefan Zweig Piano Trio | performed with Seiji Ozawa | Member of Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra | studied in Tokyo and Vienna | plays as guest musician with the Vienna Philharmonic

Shirai-san is a wanderer between two worlds. Living in Tokio and Vienna, he describes himself as Kei-kun: neophyte (learner or seeker). With this attitude he developed our ensemble staidly.

Japanese violinist Kei Shirai was born in Trinidad and Tobago and began playing the violin at the age of three. As a child he was taught by Tsugio Tokunaga and, while studying at Geidai University of the Arts in Tokyo, by Chikashi Tanaka and Miyoko Yamane-Goldberg. Upon his graduation in 2007, Kei Shirai was awarded a Japanese Government Scholarship to continue his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Johannes Meissl. Among his awards at major international competitions are the second prize and the audience prize at the 2009 ARD Competition in Munich.
Kei enjoys a multi-faceted career as a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. His concert engagements take him frequently to Japan’s biggest venues and festivals. In Europe he performs regularly with the Stefan Zweig Trio and the Ludwig Chamber Players: an acclaimed mixed instrumentation ensemble based in Stuttgart.
Kei Shirai played as guest concert master with NHK Symphony Orchestra.

LCP Repertoire Highlights with Kei as a soloist: Beethoven Septet, Sarasate Gipsy tales, Gadel Tango