Taka Kigawa

Internationally acclaimed pianist Taka Kigawa has earned outstanding recognition as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician. He first came to international attention after winning First Prize at the prestigious 1990 Japan Music Foundation Piano Competition in Tokyo, followed by the Diploma Prize at the 1998 Concurs Internacional de Música Maria Canals de Barcelona in Spain.

Kigawa has received exceptional critical acclaim from leading publications. The New York Times has called him a “Phenomenon. There’s no denying that he is something special” and “The extraordinary pianist.” The New Yorker praised his “Unbelievably challenging program,” declaring that “Kigawa is an artist of stature,” while La Nación of Buenos Aires described him as “a stupendous virtuoso.” His New York City recital in 2010 was selected by The New York Times as one of the best concerts of the year. His August 2011 New York recital was named one of the most notable concerts of the 2011–2012 season by Musical America, and his April 2014 recital in Buenos Aires was selected as one of the best concerts of the year by Argentina’s leading newspaper, La Nación.

He has performed extensively as a recitalist and soloist in major cities throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, including New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Cleveland, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires. His appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Cité de la Musique and Salle Gaveau in Paris, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He frequently tours throughout his native Japan, appearing in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano, and Kyoto as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician. He has performed with distinguished ensembles including The Cleveland Orchestra and has been featured on numerous television and radio networks throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has also been invited to give lectures on music and piano performance at the University of California, Berkeley and The Juilliard School.

Kigawa’s extraordinarily broad repertoire spans from the Baroque to the avant-garde, and he has collaborated closely with such renowned musicians as Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung, and Jonathan Nott. In 2013, he gave the New York City premiere of the final solo piano work by legendary jazz musician Yusef Lateef.

Born and raised in Japan. Kigawa received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Shinshu University and his Master of Arts degree from Tokyo Liberal Arts University, graduating with honors in Piano Performance. During his undergraduate and graduate studies, he also pursued composition and conducting, receiving high honors in both disciplines. He continued his studies in the United States at The Juilliard School in New York, where he earned his Master of Music degree.

Taka Kigawa is a Steinway Artist.