Finalisti - Takashi Sato

Since winning first prize at the 70th Music Competition of Japan in 2001, Takashi Sato has been regarded as one of the most outstanding Japanese pianists of his generation. He is the youngest recipient ever of the Frédéric Chopin Society of Japan Award which was granted for the success of his debut recital in Tokyo in 2003. Takashi has also distinguished himself at several international competitions, such as ARD International Music Competition 2006 in Munich (special prize for the best interpretation of a 20th-century piano work), International Piano Competition Francis Poulenc 2006 (third prize), Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia 2008 (fourth prize and special prize for the best performance of Chopin), Concours Géza Anda 2009 in Zurich (special prize) and Queen Elisabeth Competition 2010 in Brussels (laureate). Most noteworthy among them is his victory at the 11th International Piano Competition Schubert in Dortmund 2007, establishing him as a world-class interpreter of Schubert's music.

Early on in his artistic career, Takashi was chosen to be soloist for the Tokyo Geidai Sinfonia's tour in the United Kingdom in 2003, where his charismatic performance contributed to the tour's success. He has also worked with numerous major orchestras, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Central-Aichi Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Century Orchestra Osaka, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony and National Orchestra of Belgium. He has been invited to perform in such countries as Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Greece, Australia and Syria.

Since the solo debut CD "La Campanella: Gems of the Keyboard" (Live Notes, 2007), Takashi has issued several recordings including Schubert album (Bella Musica, 2008) and Chopin albums (Live Notes, 2009) receiving much acclaim from the Japanese and German press.

Alongside his accomplishments as soloist, he is equally appreciated as an adept chamber musician, and has collaborated with many renowned artists, such as Masafumi Hori, Nobuko Yamazaki, Yuzuko Horigome, Ryoichi Fujimori, Shunske Sato, Kyoko Yonemoto and Mayuko Kamio. A recording of Edvard Grieg's complete sonatas for violin and piano with Shunske Sato, released in 2007, was awarded Grand Prize by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan at the 62nd National Arts Festival.

Born in Akita, Japan in 1983, Takashi Sato began piano at age of four under the guidance of Kumiko Meguro, and studied several years later with Okitaka Uehara. Between 1999 and 2006, he studied with Hitoshi Kobayashi, Katsumi Ueda and Kikuko Ogura (fortepiano) at the Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku (Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music), as well as at its music high school division, graduating from both with top honors in 2006 and 2002 respectively. At present he is a postgraduate student at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover (Hanover University for Music and Drama), under the tutelage of Arie Vardi.