Yo Kitamura was born in Japan in 2004.
In 2024, he won the 1st prize at the George Enescu International Competition and the 1st prize at Pablo Casals International Award.
In 2023, he won the 1st prize and the special prize at the 29th International Johannes Brahms Competition and the 1st prize and five special prizes at the 92th Japan Music Competition, the most prestigious in Japan. He won the 2nd prize at the 2022 Khachaturian International Competition, and the 1st prize unanimously at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2017.
He has studied with Prof. Jens-Peter Maintz at the Berlin University of the Arts and Prof. Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi at Toho Gakuen College of Music.
He has participated in masterclasses with Wolfgang Boettcher, David Geringas, Steven Isserlis, Philippe Muller, Mischa Maisky, Mario Brunello, Kangho Lee.
He took master classes at the Kronberg Academy in 2018 and 2022 with Jens-Peter Maintz and at the Cello Academy Rutesheim in 2019 with Claudio Borques.
He made his orchestra debut at the age of 9, and his recital debut at 10. His Suntory Hall debut as a soloist at age 11, performing the Haydn Cello Concerto in C major. He has performed with numerous professional orchestras, working with conductors Kenichiro Kobayashi, Ken Takaseki, Naoto Otomo, Sachio Fujioka, and Kazuki Yamada, Andrei Feher, Alfredo Sorichetti and many more.
In 2020, he earned outstanding reviews when he substituted for Julian Steckel in a concert conducted by Michiyoshi Inoue with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.
Yo Kitamura won the Hotel Okura Music Award, the Tokitada Sakai Music Award, the Arion Music Award, and the Kirishima International Music Festival Award.
He is a recipient of the 52th Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation scholarship and the ROHM Music Foundation scholarship.
He plays a 1668 “Casini” cello, on loan from Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry, Ltd.
