Diana Yukawa is a violinist and songwriter from Tokyo, born in 1985. She works in classical crossover and related electronic and trip hop styles, and is also described as creating an electronic classical sound. She is a member of Ghost Harmonic.

Background and early life

Yukawa is born in Tokyo and begins learning the violin at the age of five. Her father dies in the Japan Airlines disaster in 1985, three weeks before her birth. She studies with Ruggiero Ricci and with Maurice Hasson, Hu Kun, Rodney Friend and Natasha Boyarsky.

Recording career

She releases three albums through Sony Music and BMG Japan. After her debut album, she is acknowledged as one of the country’s top 10 artists. Her third release is The Butterfly Effect, which marks the development of her own distinctive sound.

Performance and collaborations

Yukawa performs as a soloist at venues and events including Burj Khalifa for the 2012 New Year’s Concert, the Dubai World Cup 2012, St James Piccadilly, Cadogan Hall, a stadium show in Qatar, and the Hollywood Bowl. She also performs for audiences of 100,000 at the Dubai World Cup and 60,000 at the Qatar stadium concert.

She collaborates with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra, working with conductors Robin Stapleton and Grant Llewellyn. Other collaborators include Jeff Beck, Paul Oakenfold, Deen, Craig Armstrong and John Foxx. She also appears as a special guest on various US shows, including a PBS tribute programme.

Style and songwriting

Alongside her violin work, Yukawa writes songs and works with a co-writing and production team. Her music is presented as contemporary and modern in approach, with the violin used in a way that is intended to extend its range as a performance instrument.