Takahiro Yoshikawa: Pianist
Born in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture in 1973.
Graduated from Taisha Municipal Elementary School, Taisha Municipal Junior High School, and Prefectural Koyasuyama High School.
From elementary school to high school, she has won numerous top prizes, including first place in Western Japan, in student music competitions, the Pitina Piano Competition, and the Japan Piano Education Federation Competition.
Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1996 and completed his master's degree at the same university's graduate school in 1999.
He received the Bösendorfer Prize upon completing graduate school and moved to Italy in 1999.
He has studied under Eiko Shimizu, Takako Horie, and Teruharu Karashima, and in Italy under Anita Pollini, a disciple of Alfred Cortot and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He also studied chamber music with Fabrizio Meloni (clarinet) and Danilo Rossi (viola), principal players of the La Scala Philharmonic, and composition with Silvia Bianchera Bettinelli at the La Scala Academy in Milan.
In December 2001, he placed 2nd at the Camillo Togni International Piano Competition (no 1st place winner).
In July 2002, he won the Schubert International Music Competition.
In February 2003, he won the Grosseto International Chamber Music Competition.
In May of the same year, he won the Paul Harris International Piano Competition.
Currently based in Milan, he is active as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe and Japan.
Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala di Milano, La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra, Donizetti Opera Orchestra of Bergamo, La Scala Chamber Orchestra, La Scala Academy Orchestra, I Solisti della Scala He has performed with the Scala, Riccardo Chailly (conductor), Daniele Gatti (conductor), Stefano Ranzani (conductor), Paul Connelly (conductor), David Coleman (conductor), Neil Cavalletti (conductor), Ingo Metzmacher (conductor), Daniele Rustioni (conductor), Roberto Misto (conductor), the La Scala String Quartet, I Solisti della Scala (principal players of the La Scala Orchestra), Fabrizio Meloni (clarinet), Wolf Rodenhäuser (clarinet), Jacques Zoon (flute), Fabian Tuan (oboe), Domenico Nordio (violin), Valentino Zucchiatti (bassoon), and Gabriele Sclepis (bassoon).
In June 2006, he performed with the Milan La Scala Orchestra under the baton of Paul Connelly at the Milan La Scala "Serata Mozart". He performed the Piano Concerto K.271 "Jeune Homme" and the three slow movements (K 467, K 482, K 488) and was highly praised by the CORRIERE DELLA SERA ("The Perfect Pianist") and other publications. In January 2007, he performed Mozart's K 467 and K 488 again at the Milan La Scala. In October 2007, he performed the slow movements of Mozart's Piano Concerto (K 449, K 450, K 488) at the Milan La Scala Ballet production "Le Parc".
In 2009, she made her CD debut with a Chopin program (on the Italian label LIMEN MUSIC&ARTS). In autumn 2011, her second album CD+DVD (same label) was released simultaneously in Italy and Japan and was also broadcast on Swiss radio. From October to December 2011, she appeared three times on Italian TV La7 in collaboration with the principal clarinetist of the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, and was well received. In 2012 and 2013, she released two CD+DVDs, “Across Virtuosity” I&II (same label), in collaboration with La Scala principal clarinetist Fabrizio Meloni, and performed the songs on the album live on Italian radio. In Japan, she has appeared on NHK-FM ("Masterpiece Recital" and "Best of Classic") and NHK-BS Premium ("Classic Club"). In March 2012, they performed as the main guest at the Save the Children Charity Gala in the presence of Princess Kiko of Akishino.
In March 2015, a duo CD with La Scala principal clarinetist Fabrizio Meloni, “Vif et Rythmique”, was released by Deutsche Grammophon.
On April 13th, he performed in a chamber music concert with Meloni, Fabien Tuan (principal oboe), and Gabriele Sclepis (principal bassoon) at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, receiving rave reviews.
In November, his first CD, "TAKAHIRO YOSHIAKWA – LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN", will be released on his own label, Epsilon International.
In November 2016, Epsilon International's second album "TAKAHIRO YOSHIKAWA - CLAUDE DEBUSSY" was released, which received a special review from Record Geijutsu.
In the same month, he performed in a recital sponsored by the Milano Concert Association "Società dei Concerti" and in a recital commemorating the 150th anniversary of Italian-Japanese diplomatic relations in Brescia (sponsored by the Japanese Consulate in Italy and the Province of Brescia).
In November 2017, "TAKAHIRO YOSHIKAWA – ROBERT SCHUMANN" was released by Epsilon International and received a special review from Record Geijutsu.
On March 7, 2018, he performed Mozart's Quintet for Piano and Woodwinds and Poulenc's Sextet with I Solisti della Scala at the Sala Verdi of the Verdi National Music Academy in Milan. In June of the same year, "TAKAHIRO YOSHIKAWA – FRANZ LISZT" was released by Epsilon International and received a special review from Record Geijutsu. From March 10 to April 7 of the same year (12 performances), he performed the slow movements of Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 21 and No. 23 in the orchestra pit at the ballet performance "Mahler 10 / Petite Mort / Boléro" at La Scala in Milan (choreography: Jiří Kylián) (David Coleman conducting the La Scala Orchestra). It will be performed again in November 2019 (8 performances from the 16th to the 30th).
During his third year of high school, he participated in the first "Literary Koshien" (sponsored by Bungeishunju Publishing), won the national championship and received the Nojigiku Award from Hyogo Prefecture and the Kusunoki Award from Nishinomiya City.
Appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, he served as a supporter of the Japan Pavilion at the Milan Expo, which was held from May to October 2015.