Born in Tokyo in 1966, chose the violin at the tender age of three. And stuck with the decision once made. After studying in her hometown, she came to Frankfurt/Main as a DAAD scholarship holder with Edith Peineman. After master classes, including with the artistic director of the Berlin Baroque Soloists, Rainer Kussmaul, Kotowa Machida was concertmaster of the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra in Reutlingen for four years before joining the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1997. Since then, she has made a name for herself primarily as a chamber musician: as a member of the Venus Ensemble (which lives up to its name and consists exclusively of women!), in the Klangforum Berlin and, since 2000, also with the Berlin Baroque Soloists. When she puts her violin aside, Kotowa Machida likes to read a lot, paint, solve number puzzles – and devote herself to her favorite hobby: architecture and interior design.
