At the tender age of 3, Midori knew what she wanted. She wanted
to play the violin, just like her mother. Setsu Goto presented a violin to her precocious
daughter and as she watched the girl use the bow to stroke the strings with a mysterious
understanding, she realized Midori possessed a natural talent.
By the time Midori was 4, lessons had begun in earnest, with her mother as her teacher.
Goto took the energetic girl from Japan to New York City for intense instruction by other
teachers.
In 1982, Zubin Mehta, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, listened with rapture to
the extraordinary 11-year-old violinist in a personal performance. He invited her to be
the surprise guest soloist at the orchestras New Years Eve concert. The people
in the audience that evening rose to their feet to give a cheering ovation to the slender
and poised girl. Midori was a hit in the classical music world.
Midoris exceptional career continues to this day. Her expressive and vibrant
violin-playing has taken her all over the United States and the world, from Berlin,
Beijing and Boston to Cleveland, Seattle, Paris and Amsterdam, from Israel to her native
Japan. Midori, now 28, performs about 80 recital and concert performances a year.
Midori enthusiastically shares her love of music with children in Japan and New York
City. Of her Midori Foundation, called Midori and Friends, she says, "The aim is to
inspire children through music
to learn about other cultures and discipline and
dedicating yourself to something you love very much." Besides her active recording
career, Midori finds time to perform in 120 foundation concerts each year with the help of
the Maia Quartet, pianist Emanuel Ax and other chamber and recital musicians.