Yoshika Masuda, cellist (Kobe, Japan), has won national competitions in Australia, Japan, and the US, and performed throughout Australia, Japan, China, Mexico, the US, and western Europe in venues such as the Mozarteum, the Sydney Opera House, the Tokyo Opera City Hall, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Yoshi has given the US and world premieres of works by Toshio Hosokawa, Derrick Spiva Jr., Bent Sørensen, Nick Strimple, and Jörg Widmann. He is also the co-founder of the SAKURA cello quintet. Yoshi graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK with distinction, and received the Principal’s Prize along with the Leonard Rose Cello Award for outstanding achievement. He gained his DMA from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, studying with Ralph Kirshbaum. He also studied extensively with Hannah Roberts, while receiving guidance from Thomas Demenga and David Geringas. Yoshi is currently the Assistant Professor of Cello and Director of String Studies at California Lutheran University. Previous Yellow Barn musician (2016-2018)