Tokyo Music Competition
AKIYAMA Saho
Piano
Born in: Tokyo Metropolis, Japan
1st place, and Audience Award, Piano Section, The 17th Tokyo Music Competition 2019
Musical Study Experiences
March 2016 Graduated from the Music High School attached to the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts
April 2016 Enrolled in the piano course of the Department of Instrumental Music, the Faculty of Music at Tokyo University of the Arts
2019 4th-year student of the piano course, the Department of Instrumental Music, the Faculty of Music at Tokyo University of the Arts
Teachers
Previously, studied piano under YOKOYAMA Yukio, Pascal DEVOYON.
Studied fortepiano under OGURA Kikuko.
Studied chamber music under AOYAGI Susumu, TSUDA Yuya, KIKUCHI Tomoya, and KADOWAKI Hiroki. Attended master classes in Japan and overseas and took lessons from numerous renowned musicians including Paul BADURA-SKODA, Sergei DORENSKY, DANG Thai Son, and Jacques ROUVIER.
Currently, studies under ITOH Kei.
Musical Careers
| 2012 | Gold Prize and Soloist Prize, Middle School Category, Asia Final, the 13th International Chopin Piano Competition in ASIA |
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| 2013 | Passed the audition of Paul BADURA-SKODA's class in Wien Meisterkurs, and performed in a recital recommended by Badura-Skoda. (Vienna, Austria) |
| 2014 | 1st Place, the Concerto Soloist Audition hosted by Yokohama Minato Mirai Performed with an orchestra mainly consisted of members of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo |
| 2015 | 1st Place, the Audition for the Grant for Dispatching Artists to Master Classes in Overseas supported by TIAA (Tokyo International Association of Artists) Dispatched to Zurich University of the Arts receiving full-tuition grant (Zurich, Switzerland) |
| 2018, 2019 | Became a recipient of the Japan Federation of Musicians Scholarship for emerging artists to study in Japan supported by Munetsugu Angel Fund |
| 2019 | Won MIYATA Ryohei (former president of the university) Prize at Tokyo University of the Arts 1st Place, Prof.Dichler-Competition (Vienna, Austria) Bronze Prize, Special Level, the 43rd PTNA Piano Competition 1st Place and Audience Award, Piano Section, the 17th Tokyo Music Competition |
Further Activities
Previously, Akiyama has performed with the Geidai Philharmonia Orchestra, Tokyo led by HIROKAMI Junichi at the Sogakudo Concert Hall; the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra led by WATANABE Kazumasa at the Suntory Hall; and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra led by TSUNODA Kosuke at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.
In 2015, Akiyama performed in the international welfare for youth concert hosted by Child Aid Asia, with an attendance of Princess Akishino. She also performed as a member of Child Aid Asia at a charity dinner party, where Prince and Princess Hitachi, numerous ambassadors to Japan, and many other prominent figures in politics and the business world were present. Since 2017, she often holds recitals. In 2019, she performed at University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, requested for performing Japanese composer's works celebrating the 150th anniversary of Japan-Austria diplomatic relations.
Besides these careers, she also achieved numerous performance experiences at various venues including Kawai Omotesando, Bösendorfer Tokyo, La Folle Journée, the Nippon Foundation, the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, and the Ota-Kumin Hall APRICO, Main Hall.
Repertoire
I have been studying extensively and deeply on piano concertos, solos, and chamber music from Baroque to contemporary. My primary focus is on pieces written by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, and Chopin. These days, I have also been strongly drawn to and actively performing Russian music written by composers including, but not limited to, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, and Tchaikovsky.