Kaori Yamagami has built an exciting and diverse career as a cellist, bringing her to several different continents from an early age. Yamagami is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she was accepted at the age of 13 where she was one of the final students of Mstislav Rostropovich. She is also a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and received both a Bachelor’s of music and Konzertexamen degrees with honors from the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, where she studied with Frans Helmerson, and was one of he final students of legendary Russian teacher Boris Pergamenschikow before his death in 2004. During her last years of studies in Cologne, she was Frans Helmerson‘s teaching assistant.
Yamagami was the recipient of full scholarships from the Curtis Institute and New England Conservatory and also of Career Grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. She is also the recipient of the Beebe Fellowship. In Europe, she has played in several festivals including Verbier Festival and Kronberg Academy; where she was invited as a chamber music coach as well.
Yamagami was the recipient of the Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2011. This prestigious and highly coveted prize is given to one Canadian performer of classical music under the age of 32, who demonstrates outstanding talent and musicianship. Yamagami was also a prize winner of numerous international competitions including the International Rostropovich Competition in Paris (in 1997, aged just 15, and again in 2005) and the 2007 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow.
Yamagami’s orchestral experience spans many decades and continents. Most recently she served as Principal Cello of Sydney Symphony Orchestra until 2025 and before that, was the leader of celli in Amsterdam Sinfonietta for nine years. She performs regularly with chamber ensembles and orchestras across Europe, guest leading ensembles/orchestras such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Basel Kammerorchester and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also a member of Utopia, the orchestra of Teodor Currentzis. Over the past several years, Kaori has also dedicated a portion of her year to historical performance practice (HIP), and during the summer of 2024 and 2025, she was performing with baroque ensembles at the Salzburg Festspiele.
