Masayo Ishigure became one of a small group of virtuoso disciples of both Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai and successfully completed the 33rd Ikusei-kai program sponsored by NHK to foster and train aspiring artists in Japanese music. In 1988, Ms.Ishigure received a degree in Japanese Traditional Music from Takasaki Junior Arts College with a concentration on koto and shamisen.

Ms. Isigure moved to New York City in 1992 and has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, BAM, Merkin Hall, Asia Society, Japan Society, Metropolitan Museum, and other venues in the New York City metropolitan area. She has been invited to perform at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the Smithsonian Institute, and was a guest artist with the Seattle Symphony, Hartford Symphony, San Diego Symphony, New Haven Symphony Orchestra.

Masayo Ishigure has appeared in concerts for the World Music Institute, Japan Society, Music from Japan, the China Institute and has participated in music festivals in Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Holland, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Belarus, Jamaica, Hawaii and Alaska. Masayo Ishigure also accompanied several performances by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Mr. Peter Boal.

Masayo Ishigure has recorded music for CBS Master Works, television commercials, and the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack for “Memoirs of a Geisha” alongside artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. She has been honored with the 2016 Consul General’s Commendation and was nominated by Newsweek as one of the “100 Japanese People the World Respects” in 2007. Her discography includes solo albums like “Grace” and collaborative works such as “The World of Tadao Sawai” and “East Wind Ensemble.

Masayo Ishigure has taught koto and shamisen at Wesleyan University, CT and Columbia University since 2010 and offers private lessons in New York City, New Jersey and Washington DC.