Koko Watanabe
Violin
The Sallie J. Sherman Chair
Japanese violinist Koko Watanabe joined ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in 2018 and is currently a musician with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for the 2025–26 season. She previously served as assistant concertmaster of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra during the 2024–25 season.
Koko has appeared in orchestral, solo, and chamber performances throughout the United States and Japan. In 2024, she toured Europe, Carnegie Hall, and Miami with The Cleveland Orchestra. She also performs frequently with the Pittsburgh Symphony, having joined their tour to New York City’s Lincoln Center and recording Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, and Schulhoff’s Five Pieces, all conducted by Manfred Honeck.
A former member of the Nashville Symphony (2021–22 season) and the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra, Koko served as assistant concertmaster of the latter in 2019.
She earned her Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with William Preucil and Stephen Rose, following degrees from Southern Methodist University, Toho Conservatory, and Tokyo College of Music, where her teachers included Emanuel Borok and Hamao Fujiwara. A winner of the Cho-Ko Hai International Music Competition and Toho Conservatory Concerto Competition, she has also attended the Pacific Music Festival and Music Academy of the West as concertmistress.
Koko is also a Suzuki-certified teacher, passionate about nurturing young musicians and helping them grow through the joy of music.
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