Praised by The New York Times as striking," American cellist Hiro Matsuo is quickly establishing himself as a rising talent of his generation. His performing career has taken him all over the world, and he has appeared in the most celebrated venues including Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Kimmel Center, Royal Albert Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.
An avid chamber musician, Hiro has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Joshua Bell, David Aaron Carpenter, Roberto D_az, Christoph Eschenbach, Midori Goto, Ida Kavafian, Alex Kerr, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Marie McDermott, and Joseph Silverstein, among others. He has made appearances at summer music festivals of Kirishima, Lake George, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, and Salom̩ at The Hamptons. He is an artist of the Metropolis Ensemble, Salom̩ Chamber Orchestra, and Solisti Ensemble. He also performs regularly with A Far Cry and Sejong Soloists.
Hiro has earned wide recognition winning numerous competitions and awards from an early age including first prizes in Kishwaukee, Musichorale, Music Teachers National Association, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Society of American Musicians, and University of Illinois Cello Festival competitions, among others.
As an orchestral musician, Hiro has served as principal for many concerts. He has played under the baton of renowned conductors John Adams, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Nicolas McGegan, Matthias Pintscher, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yannick N̩zet-S̩guin, Simon Rattle, and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Hiro also enjoys collaborating with musicians outside the classical music genre. In 2011, he recorded for The Roots eleventh studio album "Undun." To celebrate the release of the album, he appeared with the legendary band on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He has shared the stage with famed artists Keren Ann, Natasha Bedingfield, John Legend, Rufus Wainwright, Florene Welch, and Michelle Williams.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Curtis Institute of Music and a master's degree from The Juilliard School. He has worked extensively with Gilda Barston, Carter Brey, Timothy Eddy, Hans Jrgen Jensen, David Soyer, and Peter Wiley."