Soichiro Kawabe is a Japanese violist and a member of Quartet Fugue, which won Third Prize at the 2026 ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

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After completing his initial studies in Tokyo, he moved to Europe to further develop his artistic identity. He is currently based in Hannover, Germany, pursuing his master's degree in Chamber Music at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Prof. Oliver Wille.

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As a member of Quartet Fugue, he also won Second Prize and the Bordeaux String Quartet Festival Award at the 2026 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. In Japan, the quartet won First Prize and the Beethoven Prize at both the 2024 Akiyoshidai Music Competition and the 2025 Munetsugu Hall String Quartet Competition. The quartet also received the 2025 Aoyama Music Award (Barocksaal Prize), and has been supported by the Matsuo Foundation since 2024.

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Alongside his quartet work, he is active as a guest principal player with leading orchestras in Japan. His awards include First Prize at the 2021 K Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize (the highest prize awarded) at the 2022 Salzburg-Mozart International Chamber Music Competition in Tokyo, and Third Prize at the 2019 Japan Classical Music Competition (violin) and the 2022 Japan Classical Music Competition (viola).

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He has participated in festivals and academies including the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy Okushiga, MMCJ, Project Q (Chapters 21, 22, and 23), the Le Pont Music Festival, Viola Space, the Miyazaki International Music Festival, the Tokyo Spring Music Festival, the Kiso Music Festival, and the Kitakyushu International Music Festival. He also attended the 42nd Kirishima International Music Festival as a scholarship recipient. He was a Fellow of the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Academy from 2022 to 2026.

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Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, he graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music and earned his master's degree at Tokyo University of the Arts, where he received the Acanthus Music Prize and a graduate scholarship from the Fukushima Ikueikai.

 

He has studied with teachers including , Hiroshi Hashimoto, Shizuko Ishii and Keiko Urushihara for violin, and Ryo Sasaki and Toshihiko Ichitsubo for viola.