Music Dec 12, 2019
Free jazz veteran Yosuke Yamashita marks 50 years of his trio's 'reckless' playing
by James Hadfield
The pianist brings together past members of his Yosuke Yamashita Trio for celebratory Tokyo show.
Music Nov 27, 2019
Tomoe Sawa: The singer bridging the Japan-South Korea divide
by Chiho Iuchi
Tomoe Sawa, the first person to legally sing in Japanese in South Korea after the Second World War, hopes to improve ties between the two countries with her bilingual concerts and recordings
Music Oct 17, 2019
Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii sets the bar high with new concert series
by Chiho Iuchi
Nobuyuki Tsujii, a piano who has been blind since birth, talks about his upcoming projects and his friendship with violinist Fumiaki Miura
Music Oct 8, 2019
Hiromi Uehara drops the band and steps out alone
by Patrick St. Michel
The pianist returns to solo work for her latest album, "Spectrum," 10 years after her last solo release
Entertainment News Jun 28, 2019
Japan's Mao Fujita ties for second in Tchaikovsky piano competition
Mao Fujita, 20, tied for second place in the piano category of the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition on Thursday, together with Russia's Dmitriy Shishkin, while top honors went to Alexandre Kantorow of France. Fujita, a Tokyo native who has performed at home and abroad, was ...
Books May 4, 2019
'The Forest of Wool and Steel': Music and nature intertwine to paint a portrait of growth — review
by Kris Kosaka
Natsu Miyashita's "The Forest of Wool and Steel" is a mesmerizing reading experience, a slow journey in how one young person renders an occupation into a vocation.
National Apr 4, 2019
Yayoi Kusama polka-dot piano ready for public use at Tokyo government building, with view to die for
Tokyoites looking for a great place to play their favorite Mozart piece take note: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has set up a grand piano for visitors to the 45th floor of its No. 1 building in Shinjuku Ward, giving people of all skill levels ...
Music Oct 9, 2018
Etsko Tazaki creates her own legacy at the piano keys
by Chiho Iuchi
If you were a musician and your death was imminent, what piece of music would you like to cover before you die? Maybe you'd want to play a Sex Pistols track on the guitar, or perhaps try mastering a trumpet solo by Dizzy Gillespie? Pianist ...
Music Sep 16, 2018
Piano trio first from Japan to win ARD classical music competition in Germany
A Japanese piano trio won first prize in the prestigious ARD International Music Competition on Saturday, the organizer said. The Aoi Trio, formed by graduates of Tokyo University of the Arts, is the first from Japan to win any prize in the category at ARD ...
National Aug 1, 2016
Piano repaired with funds from Cyndi Lauper destined for 3/11-hit hospital
A grand piano damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and repaired by the owner of a local musical instrument store will soon be donated to a hospital that is being rebuilt in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, after it was destroyed in the disasters. The ...
Music Nov 20, 2015
Chopin competition winner focuses on art
by Keijiro Ohata
These days the road to fame often starts with a viral video on YouTube, but Korean pianist Seong-jin Cho took the classic route — he won a music competition. The 21-year-old winner of the international Frederic Chopin piano competition, told the press at the Polish ...
Music Apr 12, 2015
Pianist Etsko Tazaki seeks out the legacies of Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert
by Chiho Iuchi
Whether their lives were long or short, the classic composers tended to cement their legacies in their final days, perhaps the point in their lives when they were at their most philosophical. Pianist Etsko Tazaki is fascinated by the legacies these artists leave, and is ...