Her parents were a well-educated, cosmopolitan couple: her father was a graduate of Waseda University who became an architect, and her mother was a folkloric dancer and choreographer.
Her first important influence as a violinist came from Anna Bubnova-Ono – a pupil of the great Leopold Auer (teacher of Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein, Efrem Zimbalist) – who had moved to Japan in the wake of the Russian Revolution and married the scientist Ono Shun’ichi, uncle of Yoko Ono.
Ushioda's primary education was at Futaba, a very well known private school where the teachers were European nuns.
An important figure at Toho was Hideo Saito, and Ushioda – like many of her fellow students, such as Seiji Ozawa – was strongly influenced by his teachings.
At age 14, Ushioda received widespread attention by winning First Prize in the Mainichi Competition, the most prestigious event of that kind in Japan.
This was followed by high school years in which she juggled many concerts and her musical studies at Toho.
In 1961, the Russian violinist Mikhail Vaiman, who was well known in Japan, was asked to invite two young Japanese students to work with him at the Leningrad Conservatory as part of its centenary celebration.
Ushioda competed in the 1963 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and won sixth prize.
As a result of her victory, Ushioda embarked on an international life as a violin soloist, while maintaining her link to Szigeti and “home” in Switzerland.
In 1974, Ushioda and her husband Laurence Lesser were invited by then President Gunther Schuller to join the faculty of New England Conservatory.
Masuko Ushioda, Tadashi Mori, Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
Masuko Ushioda, Hideo Saito, Toho Gakuen Orchestra Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.
2; Joanna Kurkowicz, Dimitri Murrath, Sarah Darling, Natasha Brofsky, Laurence Lesser, Donald Palma, Stephen Drury., Stravinsky Apollo, Duo Concertant.
Masuko Ushioda, Tadashi Mori, ABC Symphony Orchestra, Glazunov Violin Concerto; Bartok Sonata for Solo Violi;, Stravinsky Divertimento, Stephen Drury.