Born in 1992 in Yokohama Japan, Shizuka Mitsui began playing the cello at the age of five, in Boston USA where he spent his childhood. From 1998 to 2014 he studied at the Toho-Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo under Hakuro Mori, and regularly attended masterclass by Wen-Sinn Yang. In 2011-12 he worked at the Academy of NHK Symphony Orchestra before furthering his studies at the Mozarteum University Salzburg in the class of Giovanni Gnocchi. Since 2016, he has been studying under Clemens Hagen.

Shizuka is a laureate of numerous competitions both on home territory and abroad, including Gold Prize at the Izumino-Mori Cello Competition (2009), 2nd prize at the Japan Classic Competition (no 1st prize, 2010), Kirishima International Music Festival Award (2011), 1st Prize at the Enrico Mainardi Competition (2016), and 2nd prize at the Tokyo Music Competition (2017). In May 2017, he was one of the Semifinalists of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels and in September 2018, Shizuka was awarded fourth & special prize at the George Enescu International competition in Bucarest.

Shizuka was invited to appear at the International Cello Festival “Alfredo Piatti” in Bergamo, where he performed all Piatti’s Caprices in one concert. He also performed at “the Mozart Festival” in Cuba, “the Prize Winner Concert” in Salzburg Festival, and Kusatsu International Music Festival, and “the Japan Festival” in Indiana University. Shizuka took part in the Classeek Ambassador Programme in seasons 2019-2021, under the mentorship of Gautier Capuçon.