Sho Kubota
Sho Kubota is a Japanese percussionist who currently resides in Finland where he holds the position of principal Timpanist at the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his orchestral work, Sho is also an esteemed lecturer at various educational institutions including the Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio Conservatorio and Savonlinna Music Academy.
Sho's musical journey began with his studies in percussion at the Toho Gakuen School of Music where he earned his Bachelor's degree. He then went on to pursue a Master's degree in percussion at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, followed by further studies at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. In recognition of his outstanding talent, Sho was selected as a member of the Japanese government's prestigious overseas scholarship program in 2011.
Sho's professional career took flight when he joined the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI) as an internship player. During his time there, he honed his skills as an orchestra percussionist and was fortunate enough to participate in various exciting projects including Project Martha Argerich (2011-16), and a concert at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano. Since then, Sho has been invited to play as a Timpanist and percussionist with numerous orchestras including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Mitaka Philharmony, Osaka Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Kymi Sinfonietta, Oulu Symphony Orchestra, Joensuu city orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Kirishima International Music Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival, and Budapest Danube Symphony Orchestra.
Apart from his orchestral work, Sho is also active in the field of modern music, collaborating with exceptional musicians. He was a member of the Lugano Percussion Ensemble until 2022 doing a lot of concert tour to Iran, Bolivia, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Finland Japan and the US.
Sho has had the privilege of studying under renowned Timpani players such as Taijiro Miyazaki, Mike Quinn, and Kyoich Sano, as well as other esteemed percussionists including Bernhard Wulff, Johannes Fischer, Max Riefer, Pascal Pons, Keiko Abe, Sawako Yasue, Tomoyuki Okada, and Pasi Suomalainen. With his exceptional talent and wealth of experience, Sho continues to make his mark as one of the most accomplished percussionists of his generation.
2024 BIO | Sho Kubota Web | Finland