Ikuko Kawai, born January 19, 1968, in Takamatsu, Japan, is a classically trained violinist and composer who studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and the Vienna Conservatory. Her recording debut came with the single "Night in Blue" in 1994, followed by the EP Wuthering Heights‑Dear Heathcliff in 2005. Kawai released a series of albums, including The Red Violin (2000), INSTINCT (2002), Aurora (2004), Nature (2009), APPASSIONATO (2009), REBORN (2010), LUNA (2017), and ALWAYS – Forever Favorites – (2021). She performed at Carnegie Hall (2008), the Paris Opera House (2015), and opened the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. (2019) with "The Tale of Genji". Her compositions have appeared in films such as Torokko (2009) and A Chorus of Angels (2012), the latter earning her the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Music in 2013.
