Shunske Sato (佐藤 俊介 Satō Shunsuke?, born 10 June 1984 in Tokyo) is a Japanese born, classical and baroque violinist and violist. Sato started his concert career in the United States at age 12, by winning the Young Concert Artists first prize in 1997,[1] performing throughout North America, Europe, and Japan as a soloist with orchestras such as Baltimore Symphony, Seattle Symphony Orchestra,[2] National Symphony Orchestra (United States), Minnesota Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Omsk Academy Symphony Orchestra,[3] Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Gulbenkian Orchestra, and Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra. Sato's New York recital debut in 2000 was quoted as his concert was a knockout...has developed an astonishing level of poise and musicality in the New York Times by Allan Kozinn on 24 October 2000.[4] In 2001, Sato became the youngest artist[not in citation given] performed Beethoven's violin concert at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Germany, which was broadcast through Deutsche Welle.[5] He was a recipient of loan by Nippon Music Foundation[6] and a winner of Idemitsu Music Award in 2005 sponsored by Idemitsu Kosan, one of leading oil companies in Japan. In 2007, as a violist, Sato recorded viola solo sonatas written for Sato by Akira Nishimura for Camerata Tokyo.[7] He was educated by Chin Kim, Dorothy DeLay[8] and Masao Kawasaki at the Juilliard School, Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute, Gérard Poulet at Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Mary Utiger at Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Munchen. As a baroque violinist, he won the Second Prize and the Audience Award at the 17th International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany in July, 2010.[9][10] The Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan chose Sato to be a recipient of the New Face Prize in Music Division at its 65th Arts Festival based on his Baroque recital which took place in Tokyo on 29 October, 2010. In 2011 October, Sato made a UK debut in Cambridge and London with the Academy of Ancient Music under direction of Richard Egarr, performing Niccolò Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 with gut strings on a period instrument. in 2013 December, Sato with German pianist and harpsichordist Andreas Staier performed duo recitals at the Izumi Hall in Osaka,[13] at the Toppan Hall in Tokyo,[14] Japan performing Mozart's sonatas In 2013 January, Sato was appointed as a concertmaster of the Netherlands Bach Society Orchestra, succeeding Johannes Leertouwer,[15] as well as of the Concerto Köln. In 2013 January, he received a special baroque violin - Giovanni Grancino, Milan around 1695 - on loan from the Jumpstart Jr. Foundation in Amsterdam, Netherlands.