Writer Profile

Shigeru Ishikawa
Other : Double BassistFaculty of Economics Graduate1988 Economics

Shigeru Ishikawa
Other : Double BassistFaculty of Economics Graduate1988 Economics
The deciding factor in my pursuit of classical music was, without a doubt, the profound emotion I felt when listening to Pablo Casals' (cello) recordings on LP during high school. To a high school student in the midst of adolescence, agonizing every day over the feeling that "something" was missing from my life, his sound and music seemed like a ray of light from the heavens. I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that "truth" was here!
Another person who had a major impact on my life was Miles Davis (jazz trumpet). Having dabbled in jazz since high school, I joined a club at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ called the Modern Jazz Society, and the friendships I made there remain a great asset to this day. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from many ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ alumni, not just those from the jazz club.
My musical training journey abroad began in the summer of the year I graduated. In the end, I lived in the United States for 18 years and Switzerland for 7 years until returning to Japan in 2013. I first entered Yale University, and the following year, the master's program at the Juilliard School. As a late starter, the weight and value of the education I received during this period are immeasurable. I practiced and studied incredibly hard during this time, desperately trying to keep up with the mentors I sincerely respected.
During my time in New York attending Juilliard, I lived out the motto of "work hard, play hard" every day. I would start practicing at 9:00 AM and continue until the school closed at 11:00 PM. Then, I would walk down Broadway to around 50th Street while listening to my Walkman at full volume to meet friends for drinks, laughing until morning, only to do the same thing the next day. It is a fond memory of doing things that would be unthinkable now.
After that, I moved through several principal positions in orchestras in the United States and Switzerland. During summer vacations, I would return to Japan to pursue other interests outside of the orchestra as much as possible, such as solo performances and teaching younger musicians. In 2013, I returned to Japan as the Solo Double Bass for the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.
Because I love Japan, I was chronically homesick for 25 years. However, the time I spent actually living in America and Europe, being accepted as a peer and performing music together, has become an immeasurably great asset and a source of unwavering confidence for me.
*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.