(President/Founder), Author, Educator, President, Dirigo Co., Ltd.

Mari Hirotsuru Biography

• Over 30 years of English education experience
• Junior High School and High School teaching certificate, from Waseda University, English specialization
• Bachelor of Art, Literature | Waseda University, Tokyo
• Head of Dirigo English School and Online English Preschool Good Habits
• Author of 13 books, translator of 1 book, and developer of English apps.

Harvard College ’16, The Julliard School ’18, Founder/CEO Smilee Entertainment　

Sumire Hirotsuru Biography

Born in Oita, Japan, New York/Tokyo-based violinist Sumire Hirotsuru has multifaceted interests in music, education, and media. She has performed as a soloist at major venues in the U.S. and Japan including Carnegie Hall, John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Suntory Hall, and more. In 2019 she participated in a tour with The Knights to Ravinia Festival and Tanglewood Festival with renowned violinist Gil Shaham, where they recorded an album that has been nominated to the Grammy Award 2022. As she enjoys different genres of music, she has collaborated with Bach Collegium Japan to perform baroque violin in Leipzig Gewandhaus and Tokyo Opera City, with Típica Messiez on Argentinian tango to record the new album “Psicoporteño” in Buenos Aires, and with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble for cultural collaborations. In Japan, she has been active as a soloist and has performed with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, and more. As an author of four books, she has appeared as the weekly commentator of the Morning Show on TV Asahi, and served as the Associate Professor at Akita International University and Seikei University. She earned a B.A. from Harvard University in 2016, and a M.M. from The Juilliard School in 2018.