Ryosuke Sakamoto

Born in Nara, Japan. After studying at Tokyo University (bachelor’s degree in aesthetics), Ryosuke studied lute and various plucked string instruments at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, with Hopkinson Smith. He furthered his studies there with Crawford Young (plectrum lute), Randall Cook (Renaissance viola da gamba) and Anne Smith (performance practice in Renaissance music), and graduated in 2013 with a Master’s degree in specialized music performance. In 2013, Ryosuke won first prize in the “Consorso Maurizio Pratola” in L’Aquila (Italy) in the solo-lute category. He has been invited as a soloist by English, French and German lute societies. He has also played, as an ensemble player, at many international festivals in Europe, in cities such as Vienna, Utrecht, York, Regensburg etc. His numerous recordings, as a viola da gamba and lute player, include his solo CD “Travels with My Lute” and “Polyphony and Diminution”, both released by Musica Rediviva (Sweden).