Just when you think she's tuning the strings, she immediately places her bow on the string and begins to play a familiar phrase. It's the prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. "As a cellist, this is a piece I want to keep playing forever," says Yukari Watanabe, as she moves her bow freely to produce a rich sound. "It's said that the cello is the instrument that produces a sound closest to the human voice."
She started playing the cello at the age of six. "My older sister played the violin and my mother played the piano, so my mother encouraged me to take up the cello, thinking that if I had a cello we could form a piano trio." It must have been difficult for her, who was small in stature, to play such a large cello. "When I started, I had a cello that was one-eighth the size, which is called a fractional instrument."
He joined the junior orchestra in the fourth grade of elementary school, and began playing a full-sized instrument when he entered junior high school. He said that because he had to carry the large cello around, "it hurt my shoulders and back, and in the summer my back would get soaked with sweat."
Although he received special education from a young age, it was not a smooth transition to becoming a professional musician. "I enjoyed playing with everyone in the junior orchestra, but I didn't like practicing, so when I entered high school, I stopped taking private cello lessons and joined the tennis club."
What changed her mind about music being just a hobby was a professional concert she attended in the spring of her third year of high school. "I knew I wanted to play with these people someday, so I started preparing to go to music college in May of my third year." The wonderful performance she witnessed as an audience member put an end to her doubts and drew her back onto the path of music.
Bow control plays an important role in producing a full, rich sound on the cello. "That's something I try to address in my own playing," he says. 
The height of the instrument can be adjusted using the endpin to fit the playing position. "I adjust it depending on the height of my chair or heels before I start playing." 
In addition to practicing by playing the instrument himself, he also studies by listening to the audio while looking at the sheet music. "I try to read the music and get the song into my body." 
Fine tuning is done with the adjuster at the bottom of the string. "If it gets really loose, I also adjust the peg at the top." 
Even while answering the interviewer, he never let go of the cello for even a moment. For a performer, the instrument is an extension of himself. 
"Of course, I cut my nails. I also pay attention to maintaining my fingers so they don't dry out or crack." All of this is for the sake of a good performance.
He became a regular member of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in June 2025. In fact, cellist Fumitsugu Ito, who plays as the principal soloist in the orchestra, was the person who inspired Yukari's mother to take up the cello after hearing him play when she was a junior high school student, so it feels like a fateful encounter that took place over a long period of time.
He started playing the cello at the age of six. He has worked as a freelance professional player and has also been called in as an extra for various concerts. "I've auditioned for full-time positions in various orchestras, and this is my 10th attempt." When a spot opens up in an orchestra, 30 to 60 cellists apply, and sometimes one is selected, and sometimes none at all - it's a tough world.
"There were times when I thought it might be impossible, but I really wanted to do it, so I continued." Just because you're a skilled performer doesn't mean you'll necessarily be hired. You need to be compatible with the sound the orchestra is aiming for, and you also need to be able to cooperate with the other performers.
"Because I've been an extra player, I often find myself over-observing the situation, so I'm told it's okay to play more the way I want to," he says. He reads the mood of the room and plays his own way. "Even for the same piece, the interpretation of the piece and the way the music is composed differ depending on the orchestra and conductor," he says, repeatedly practicing bowing.
When storing the bow, I tighten the hair, which is loose when storing it, and apply rosin to improve grip. It's like a routine before playing. 
He first perfects the piece to his own personal level, then practices it with the orchestra. "The conductor then brings it all together, and we all work together." 
The bib is worn to prevent buttons from damaging the instrument or to prevent noise from entering the instrument. "I tried to imitate the bib worn by a cellist I respect." The navy blue bib, the color of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, was a gift from a close friend. 
The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, where he is now a member of the regular orchestra, has many young performers. "The atmosphere is bright and lively. There are cellists who are younger than me," he says. 
"Please come and listen to our concert," he said, turning to face the press once, before leaving the studio with a large instrument case as tall as him on his back.
At classical concerts, it is not customary for audiences to clap along with the music. How do professional performers communicate with their audiences? "I'm happy when the seats are full and the applause is warm." Simple things like that can completely change the atmosphere in a concert hall.
He also shared an anecdote about the cellist's position at the front of the orchestra: "I can see the expressions on the audience's faces, so I find one person who is smiling and listening, and play for that person. When I see a happy elderly woman in the audience at a local concert, I sometimes think that this might be the last concert I can perform for her."
It's true that a live performance is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; you'll never hear the same performance twice. And there are cases where a performance can be an encounter that will influence your life. For example, Watanabe, in his third year of high school, was exposed to an overwhelming performance and began his path to music.
So what does "good cello performance" mean to her? "It's not about whether there are mistakes or not, but the sound is soothing and motivating. What I aim for is to reach people's hearts and move them."
He almost got lost several times. Now that he is a regular member of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, I asked him, "Do you plan to continue working as a performer for a long time?" Watanabe stopped plucking the strings and answered briefly, "I would like to continue." In fact, last spring he came across a rare instrument and purchased it.
"Even fewer cellos are made than violins, so it's not easy to find the instrument you want. I've been searching for a long time." The studio is filled with a sound that is closest to the human voice and has a rich, inclusive quality. A good sound eliminates hesitation. The sound continues to ring out, forever and ever.
