Born in Ono, Fukui, Soichiro Matsutani is a Japanese cellist 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 soloist and as a guest principal player with leading orchestras in Japan. His awards include Third Prize at the 2023 Viva Hall Cello Competition, Second Prize at the national finals of the 2021 All-Japan Student Music Competition, and the highest prize at the 2021 Japan Classical Music Competition. He performed as a soloist with the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra and the Geidai Philharmonia Orchestra, Tokyo.

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He has participated in the Tokyo Spring Music Festival, the Kiso Music Festival, the Kitakyushu International Music Festival, the Kaminoyama Music Festival, and the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy. He was a Fellow of the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Academy from 2022 to 2026.

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He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Tokyo University of the Arts, where he received the Doseikai Prize.

 

He has studied with teachers including Masaharu Kanda and Kenji Nakagi.

He plays with a bow generously on loan from SASSAFRAZ.