Eru Matsumoto
Eru Matsumoto | |
|---|---|
 Matsumoto in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Occupations | Cellist, multimedia artist |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Website | www |
Eru Matsumoto is a Japanese cellist and multimedia artist. She received a Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album as a collaborator on Triveni, a project with Wouter Kellerman and Chandrika Tandon.[1][2]
Matsumoto was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Art & Style category.[3]
She is known for interdisciplinary projects that combine music, science, and technology, including The Sound of Art, a research initiative exploring the translation of visual art into music through algorithmic analysis in collaboration with Harvard-affiliated researchers and an astrophysicist.[4]
Early life and education
Matsumoto was raised in the United States and began studying the cello at the age of six. She later attended the Juilliard School, where she studied with David Soyer. She also received instruction from Andrew Shulman and Yehuda Hanani.[5]
Career
Matsumoto has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. In 2018, she appeared with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra at Suntory Hall in Tokyo as part of The Music of John Williams: Star Wars and Beyond, a concert featuring the music of composer John Williams.[6] As a recording musician, Matsumoto contributed cello performances to Demi Lovato's album Confident, which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.[7] She also contributed to Danaë Xanthe Vlasse's album Mythologies, which won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[8] In 2024, Matsumoto was nominated for a Grammy Award as a collaborator on Triveni, a project with Wouter Kellerman and Chandrika Tandon.[9]
She has presented two TEDx talks, The Silence in Music at SOAS University of London and Imagination: The Most Important Human Superpower at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.[10][11]
Research and multimedia projects
Matsumoto created The Sound of Art, an interdisciplinary project that explored the conversion of visual art into music through algorithmic analysis. According to Forbes, the project developed into a collaborative research initiative involving Harvard University and an astrophysicist.[4] She has also participated in research examining relationships between sound frequencies, healing, sleep science, and cellular research.[12]
Wajima Resonance Project
In October 2025, Matsumoto participated in the Wajima Resonance Project, a cultural recovery initiative following the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.[13] In the same year, she performed at Wajima Junior High School in Ishikawa Prefecture using a Wajima-nuri lacquered cello that had been recovered from a workshop destroyed in the earthquake. As part of the project, she performed Pablo Casals' arrangement of Song of the Birds.[14]
Awards and recognition
References
- 1 2 "Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto awarded Grammy for best new age album". The Japan Times. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Eru Matsumoto". Recording Academy. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- 1 2 "30 Under 30 2021: Art & Style". Forbes. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Eru Matsumoto". Forbes. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "グラミー賞獲得 松本エルさんの経歴がスゴ過ぎる！". FNN Prime Online. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Music of John Williams: Star Wars and Beyond". Suntory Hall. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Demi Lovato – Confident". Discogs. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "第64回グラミー賞主要4部門ほか全ノミネーション発表". uDiscoverMusic Japan. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "世界的チェロ奏者のエル・マツモト、アルバム『Triveni』をBillboard上位に送り込みグラミー賞候補に". Billboard Japan. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Silence in Music". TED. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "TEDxWakeForestU 2021". TED. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Eru Matsumoto". Hibiya Music Festival. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Earthquake-surviving Japanese cello to be heard in free concert". The Strad. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "グラミー賞のエル・マツモトさん、倒壊の工房から見つかった輪島塗チェロで演奏" (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. 2025-10-26. Retrieved 8 June 2026.