-Who knew how flexible, vocal, beautiful in tone and virtuosic a double bass can sound: This was demonstrated in the best possible way by Hiroyuki Yamazaki, principal double bass of the Bremer Philharmoniker since 2005. He presented his instrument as an atmospherically dense and flexible singer....- Kreis Zeitung
-wonderfully singing double bass solo- Alfelder Zeitung
Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Hiroyuki Yamazaki studied double bass at the Aichi Prefecture University of Fine Arts and Music, graduating with the University Prize. He then became a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra for a short time before continuing his studies at the Musikhochschule in Cologne.
Since his debut in 1999 with the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, he has performed as a soloist in Japan and Germany, including with the Bremer Philharmoniker, Risonale Festival Orchestra, Sinfonia Concertante Bremen, National Theater Weimar, among others.
As an orchestral musician, he has played with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Abbado and in the Saito Kinen Orchestra under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, Fabio Luisi and Andris Nelsons.
He has also served as a guest principal double bassist with numerous orchestras such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Stavanger Symphony in Norway, Symphonica Toscanini in Italy, Hamburg State Opera, Hanover State Opera, and Braunschweig State Opera under renowned conductors including Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Daniel Harding. Above all, his experiences with Seiji Ozawa and Rostropovich have been particularly influential.
As a chamber musician, Hiroyuki Yamazaki has collaborated with Kevin Kenner, Tanja Tetzlaff, Florian Donderer, and the Warsaw Soloists.
He is a member of the Ensemble Obligat Hamburg (CD "Grand Nonetto" by GENUIN classics GEN21759).
He gave a master class in Conservatorio in Cuneo, Italy in 2009 and 2011 and in Tokyo, Japan in 2019.
He was a lecturer with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie in the spring session in 2015.
Since 2005, he has been principal double bassist of the Bremer Philharmoniker. In 2023, he joined the faculty of the Conservatorium Maastricht to teach the double bass class.