WFIMC Café: Io Yamada

Achieving 2 victories at the Pittaluga guitar competition in Alessandria and Dr. Luis Sigall Competition in Vina del Mar, Io Yamada shares his guitar journey

WFIMC: Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Io Yamada:  I’m from Osaka, Japan, and I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 2 years old. My father is a guitarist, so I naturally started playing too. At that time, I used a small guitar called a "guitarlele," which is just a little larger than a ukulele. There are even records in my baby book about the music I played.

You started at a very young age. Did you continue to focus solely on the guitar throughout your life?
Essentially, yes, but when I was around 8 or 9 years old, I also started playing the cello. There was a local project where they offered free instrument rentals, so I decided to try it out. It was a great opportunity to start learning the cello. I continued until my third year of high school, and during that time, I even played the cello in a youth orchestra. However, I considered the cello more of a hobby, with the guitar being my main focus.

Did learning the cello influence your guitar playing in any way?
The experience of being in an orchestra was incredibly useful later on. In many competitions, the final round involves playing a concerto with an orchestra, and the experience of blending with other instruments and learning timing and articulation from orchestra playing was invaluable. Also, the cello and guitar have a similar form, so it was easy to transition.
Actually, historically, many guitarists have also played the cello. For example, Mauro Giuliani, a composer from the Classical era, was well-known as a guitarist but also played the cello. He is even said to have played the cello during the premiere of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

Io Yamada, playing at the International Musical Competition "Dr. Luis Sigall"

You started studying in Europe after graduating in Japan. What made you choose Europe, especially Vienna, as the first step?
At first, the idea of studying abroad was still somewhat difficult to imagine, but a high school trip had taken me to the Czech Republic and to Vienna, so I already had some familiarity with the area and Vienna felt like a natural choice. There are also many great teachers! After studying in Vienna for 2 years, I took lessons in various German cities. Ricardo Gallén’s lessons in Weimar were so insightful that I decided to continue my studies there.

How do you like living in Weimar?
I was surprised by how small the city was. When I first came to Vienna, I thought the city was small compared to Japan, but Weimar was even smaller! You can walk to the end of the city in just 15 minutes from the train station! At first, I found it a bit boring, but I gradually came to appreciate the tranquillity of the place, and now I really enjoy it. A great thing is that it’s easy to visit Leipzig or Berlin, so I sometimes go to those cities to listen to some concerts.

Weimar is known for Franz Liszt in music and the Bauhaus movement in art. Vienna, on the other hand, was a center for fin-de-siècle art with artists like Klimt and Schiele. In both cities, you can really feel history at every corner, so living in both was a fascinating experience.

Award ceremony at the International Music Competition Dr. Luis Sigall

Congratulations on winning the Pittaluga Competition in Alessandria in 2023 and the Dr. Luis Sigall competition the following year! Your most recent achievement was at the Dr. Luis Sigall competition at Vina del Mar.

I felt that winning the Dr. Luis Sigall Competition was a long-awaited achievement. The guitar division hadn’t taken place for six years due to the pandemic, and I actually participated in the competition six years ago. At that time, I was in Japan, and my teacher, Prof. Takada, had recommended it since he had also participated in the competition during his time studying in South America. I sent in a video but didn’t make it past the first round. After moving to Europe, I had a hard time at first, but I kept trying and eventually won Pittaluga in 2023. When Vina del Mar came up again, I decided to give it another shot. I didn’t expect to win, so I was really happy that apparently I must have made some progress...

Was this your first time in Chile?
Yes, it was my first time! Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time for sightseeing. There were security concerns, and since I made it to the finals, I didn’t have much free time either. However, I had one day off, so I visited nearby Valparaíso. It’s a beautiful city with steep streets, and buildings are painted with murals. It gave me a very different, South American atmosphere.

City view of Valparaíso

Valparaíso

Was there anything unique about this competition compared to others?
I was surprised that the travel costs, participation fees, hotel, and meals were all covered by the competition. The only thing I had to pay for was souvenirs! It was a great experience to compete without any financial barriers, which I thought was very fair.

Do you have any memorable moments from the competition?
Playing in the finals at the Teatro Municipal de Viña del Mar was a very special moment. The theater had just been renovated after being damaged in the 2010 Chile earthquake, and it was a very large and beautiful hall that could hold around 1,500 people. Performing in such a hall was an unforgettable experience. Actually, 41 years ago, my current professor Thomas Müller Pering also performed in the same hall and won first place. So he was very happy for me when I won, and in that sense, it was also very emotional for me as well.

Teatro Municipal de Viña del Mar, the venue of the final round of the International Music Competition Dr. Luis Sigall

Final round at the International Music Competition Dr. Luis Sigall

How was the Pittaluga competition for you?
I had always aimed for a significant result in a major competition, especially one affiliated with the WFIMC, so Pittaluga became my big goal. Winning there was a moment of immense joy and satisfaction, marking a milestone that will remain a special memory for the rest of my life. 

The concerts I was offered after the competition also helped me really well to prepare for Vina del Mar.

Award ceremony at the Pittaluga International Guitar Competition

Do you have any memorable stories from that time?
I actually tried participating in the Pittaluga competition in 2022, one year before I won. At that time, a lot of things happened, and it was quite a challenging experience. I was on a flight scheduled to arrive about two hours before the last train from Milan to Alessandria. However, the flight was delayed by more than an hour and a half, landing just 20 minutes before the last train’s departure. In a state of despair, I ran toward the train station and, relying purely on instinct, jumped on a train—which, miraculously, turned out to be the correct one. I barely made it in time. The next day at the lottery event, I found out that anyone who couldn’t make it was automatically disqualified. If I hadn’t made that train, I would have faced a disastrous outcome—a truly close call.

Back then, I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep, and as a result, it didn't go well. At the time, I stayed in a small hotel where I could not really relax. Looking back, it was a frustrating experience, as I had spent a whole year preparing but failed due to lack of sleep…For my second attempt in 2023, I made sure to book my flight one day before, and to stay at a better hotel, which allowed me to prepare properly. It taught me the importance of not cutting corners with accommodations for important competitions.

Alessandria

Preparation for competitions is crucial. As you’ve participated in many, have you developed any routines that help you?
I’ve tried many different things, and now I’ve narrowed it down to a few key practices. I make sure to get 8 hours of sleep, eat two hours before the performance, avoid caffeine on performance day, and meditate for at least 5 minutes before going on stage. In the past, I was very nervous and tried things like taking medicines to reduce my heart rate or meticulously planning my schedule, but that became too strict to maintain. Now, I’ve simplified it to just these four things, and it works well for me.

At the Dr. Luis Sigall Competition

Preparing for the competition with his country food

Tell us a bit more about what is it like to live in the world of the guitar.
The atmosphere in the guitar world is quite cheerful, even during competitions, but as a solo instrument, it can often feel quite isolated from other Instruments. 

After the Romantic period, there was a time when the guitar briefly fell out of favor due to the rise of the piano, and as a result, highly valuable ensemble works, such as string quartets or piano trios, were not often composed. And pursuing a career in this field can be challenging. Opportunities are more limited compared to singing or orchestral jobs work, as the guitar is not an orchestra instrument. Also it’s a bit disappointing that the guitar doesn’t receive much attention, which is why I’m grateful for opportunities like this interview to help raise awareness about the instrument.

Could you give a word of advice to other young players?
I think it’s important to have a broad perspective. Competitions are a clear way to have your abilities recognized, but if you focus too much on them, you might overlook how to build your career as a musician after the competition. So, I think it’s important to use competitions as a way to test yourself, but also to think about and work on other activities that will help you grow as an artist.

Thank you very much for sharing your vision!

 

© WFIMC / HS