Miho Kawai (b. 1993 in Hiroshima, Japan) is a violist whose work centres around contemporary music, intercultural dialogue, and listening as an artistic practice.

Through her ongoing project listening to..., she explores how sound, silence, words, and space can shape attentive forms of listening. Her artistic interest lies in creating situations in which listeners may encounter not only sound, but also their own sensations, memories, questions, and ways of perceiving the world.

She studied in Tokyo, Madrid, and Frankfurt, and her musical development was deeply influenced by Isako Shinozaki, Nobuko Imai, Wenting Kang, Ingrid Zur, and Megumi Kasakawa. In 2020, she completed her Master’s degree at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts with the highest distinction.

She received artistic impulses from her time with the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra and as a fellow of the International Ensemble Modern Academy (2022/23).
She has appeared as guest principal viola with the Darmstadt State Theatre and the Mecklenburg State Theatre. Since 2023, she has performed regularly with Ensemble Modern and MUTARE Ensemble.

Miho plays a viola made by Ritz Iwata in 2019.