A Piano Concert

My name is Akane Kimura from Kobe, Japan. When I was a child, I enjoyed playing the piano with my family of musicians, including my father, a pianist, and my mother, a vocalist. I learned the piano from the age of 5 in my parents’ music school. I studied with my aunt, who worked as a pianist, at the age of 16, and studied with Masatoshi Matsumoto, a professor at Osaka University of Music, from the age of 18 until now. I got the opportunity to be mentored by Mr. Adam Gyorgy following a 2019 international competition in New York, and I am currently studying with Dr. Brendan Kinsella in McAllen.

I received master classes at Adam Gyorgy’s Castle Academy and played piano concerto K.488 with the Dohnanyi Orchestra. Then my academic pursuits led me to the prestigious Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary, where I was under the guidance of luminaries such as Dr. Gabor Farkas and Dr. David Ball.

After graduating from the Music University, I have dedicated myself to teaching, where my students have achieved remarkable success. Many have become prizewinners and first prize recipients at competitions in Japan and international competitions. Notably, two of my students have performed at Carnegie Hall. In response to the pandemic in 2020, I founded the Bremen International Piano Competition to provide a platform for students who had lost opportunities to perform publicly. This competition has drawn participants from around 10 countries and continues to thrive.

My accolades include being a finalist in the 1st All Japan Arun Piano Competition and receiving a Special Mention in the Chopin category at the 1st Piano House International Piano Competition in New York. I regularly perform in concerts with family members, including my father (pianist), my sister (a guitarist), my uncle (a bassist and composer), and other esteemed musicians.