Sho Akamatsu – violin, was born in Osaka (Japan) in 1986. At the age of fifteen, he received a Japanese government scholarship to study violin in Vienna, in the class of the renowned violin pedagogue Prof. Leonid Sorokov.

In the same class, he graduated in 2010 at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, after which he enrolled training in Vienna, also in the class of prof. Sorokova. During and after graduation he is the winner of numerous awards at Croatian and international competitions, in categories solo violin and chamber ensembles.

He was the winner of the international violin competitions “Kumagusu” in Wakayama (Japan) in 1996 and the string competition in Osaka (Japan) in 1998. He won the first prize
at the “Alpe-Adria “A & V. Marcosig” international competition in 2004 in Gorizia (Italy), as well as at the Croatian national competition in Varaždin. He won second prize in
senior category at the International Competition in Novosibirsk (Russia) in 2007, second prize (first prize not awarded) at the “Stefanie Hohl” competition in Vienna (Austria) in 2012, and second prize at the Croatian Youth Artists Competition “Papandopulo” in 2013.

He won the second prize at the 10th International Violin Competition “Vaclav Huml”
At the International Competition “Papandopulo” in 2015, he won the first prize in category of chamber ensembles with the Trio in 1887. He often performs in Croatia and abroad.
As a soloist, he collaborated with the Zagreb Philharmonic, the HRT Symphony Orchestra and, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Mostar Symphony Orchestra, The Varaždin Chamber Orchestra, the orchestras of the Croatian National Theater Opera in Zagreb and Osijek and Croatian Radio and HRT’s Tamburak Orchestra.

He is a permanent soloist and concertmaster of the costumed musical-stage spectacle Mozart in the garden. As a concert master, he led the Zagreb Festival Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra orchestra Mostar.
With the Zagreb Soloists, he released a CD with the works of the Croatian composer Boris Papandopoulos.
In addition to solo performances, he often performs chamber music. He is a permanent member and co-founder of the ensemble Trio 1887, with which he records numerous performances at festivals in Croatia and Europe.
Since 2020, he has been a member and one of the founders of the violin duo SHIVA BEYOND SONUD. He is a permanent collaborator of the international orchestra Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein and a permanent member of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra as the leader of the second violin section.