Issey Martínez Imai began studying violin at the age of three with his mother, Nanako Imai. He earned his professional diploma at the Conservatory of Irun under Raffaela Acella and continued his training with Keiko Wataya at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He has participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians including Ivry Gitlis, Nicolas Chumachenco, Christoph Poppen, Erik Schumann, and Sergey Ostrovsky.
A winner of several first prizes – including the IV Pozuelo de Alarcón Violin Competition, the Basque Young Musicians Competition, and the Marie Cantagrill International Violin Competition—Issey has also been featured in notable performance projects. In 2018 and 2019, he was selected for the Musical Talent Development program by the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the Spanish Ministry of Culture, performing at the Auditorio Nacional de Música and the Sony Auditorium of the Reina Sofía School.
He has appeared as a soloist with the Orchestre de Chambre d’Ariège in the winners’ concert of the Marie Cantagrill Competition.
Issey is currently pursuing his Higher Degree in Music at Musikene, studying under Tatiana Samouil and Liana Gourdjia.