Violinist Mitsuru Tsubota has Passed Away

Tsubota was a core member of the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble since 1989 

Violinist Mitsuru Tsubota began music studies at the age of five and was featured as a soloist with the Tokyo Symphony at the age of 10. She later traveled to the U.S. to study with Felix Galimir. 

Across her decades-long performing career, Tsubota was a soloist with the Hiroshima Symphony in 1983 and was formerly a member of the Primavera String Quartet. 

From 1982, she regularly appeared with the New England Bach Festival under the direction of Blanche Moyse. In 1989, she joined the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) as a core member. 

Tsubota was also the co-founder and principal violinist of the Strathmere Ensemble, plus served as concertmaster for Westchester Oratorio Society’s choral-orchestral performances. 

Additionally, she was the concertmaster for numerous National Chorale performances, as well as for the Dennis Keene Choral Festival.

“Yesterday we said goodbye to an extraordinary violinist, and an even more remarkable human being,” OSL cellist Daire FitzGerald posted on Facebook. “Mitsuru Tsubota will be missed so much by all of us she touched. RIP sweet angel.”

Our condolences to Ms. Tsubota’s family, friends, and colleagues.