Saaya Ikenoya, born in Saitama, Japan, in 1991, moved to Madrid, Spain, at an early age, where her musical journey began.

She earned her Bachelor of Music in Classical Violin Performance from the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country (Musikene) in San Sebastián, Spain. She then completed a Master of Performance in Classical Violin at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London, UK. Since 2016, her focus has shifted toward Historically Informed Performance Practice. She earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Baroque Violin from ESMUC in Barcelona, Spain, and, most recently, a Master’s degree from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2023.

Saaya has accumulated extensive professional experience, performing with symphonic orchestras and chamber ensembles spanning from baroque to contemporary repertoires. She has regularly collaborated with the Basque National Orchestra and the City of Madrid Orchestra and served as concertmaster of the Gregorio Solabarrieta Chamber Orchestra from 2017 to 2019.

Her passion for period performance has led her to perform with esteemed period-instrument ensembles such as Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester, Accademia Montis Regalis, Theresia Orchestra, Spira Mirabilis, Ribattuta Musica, Northern Consort, Dutch Baroque, Kölner Akademie, Holland Baroque, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, and the Bremer Barock Orchestra.

Throughout her career, Saaya has worked under the guidance of renowned musicians including Enrico Onofri, Rachel Podger, Alfredo Bernardini, Richard Egarr, Sophie Gent, Ryo Terakado, Sigiswald Kuijken, Catherine Manson, and Kati Debretzeni. She has performed both as a soloist and with various ensembles across Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Italy, France, and Japan.

A grantee of Stichting Eigen Muziekinstrument, Adriana Jacoba Fonds, and a participant in the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s Experience Scheme for 2024-2025, Saaya continues to expand her horizons as a performer. She is an active chamber musician and has been a founding member of ensembles such as Zaïre, Die Wunderkammer, Délices de la Musique, and Flânerie. While she deeply loves the Baroque era, she is equally passionate about exploring and expanding the boundaries of Historically Informed Performance Practice, particularly through rediscovering lesser-known Spanish and French virtuoso repertoire from the 19th century.