Tomoki Sakata Piano Recital

“I heard from you a really great Ondine by Ravel with the most moving expression”
-Ivan Moravec
“one of the best of the finest young pianists, capable of become one of the truly great pianists” -Paul Badura-Skoda
“…he has a spellbinding virtuosity, feeling for the music he performs and a very sympathetic personality.” ?After listening Rachmaninov No.3 Concerto…, I am again impressed by his phenomenal talent. ” – Tam?s V?s?ry

Japanese pianist Tomoki Sakata “demonstrated virtuosity, considerable color and expressivity” (Dallas Morning News) during the 2013 Cliburn Competition, earning him a place among the top six finalists. Just 22 years old, he is building a reputation for a “youthful overabundance of talent” that creates “its own visceral excitement” (Theater Jones).

1st prize winner International Franz Liszt Piano Competition(International Music Competition of Budapest).

Also a prizewinner at various competitions in Asia and Europe, Mr. Sakata has made recital, chamber and concerto appearances throughout Europe, Asia, the U.S.A and Africa, in such major Concert halls as Dvo??k Hall in Prague, Salle Cortot in Paris, Philharmonie de Luxembourg, RSI Auditorium Stelio Molo in Lugano, and Teatro Grande di Brescia, as soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony, Youngstown Symphony, Lublin Philharmonic, Czech National Symphony, l’Orchestre Phiharmonique de Maroc　and Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestras, Sendai Philharmonic, and Kanagawa Philharmonic, working with such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Randall Craig Fleisher, Vladim?r V?lek, and Hikotaro Yazaki, as a chamber musician, working with the members of Tokyo Quartet, and Brentano Quartet. His performances were broadcasted on the Radio and TV in Switzerland (Radio Suisse Romande and Radio Svizzera Italiana), Russia (KulturaTV), Czech Republic, Japan and many others.
He has appeared in numerous international music festivals, including the Brussels Piano Festival, International Music Festival “Jan??k?v m?j” (Czech Republic), and the 12th International Festival “Musical Kremlin” at the invitation of Nikolai Petrov.
Octavia Records released Mr. Sakata’s debut disc in spring 2015, featuring works by Liszt, Scriabin, Debussy, Chopin, and Rachmaninov. He has also recorded the soundtrack for the popular Japanese manga series “Your Lie in April.”
Born in Nagoya in 1993, Mr. Sakata began piano lessons at the age of 5 and began improvising and composing at age 6. He has received private lessons by Paul Badura-Skoda since the age of 16. In 2011, he was admitted as a youngest student of The Lake Como International Piano Academy, where he has taken masterclasses with many music prominents including Dimitri Bashkirov and Tam?s V?s?ry.
After study with Hideto Nishikawa and Kenji Watanabe at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, he currently studies with Arie Vardi at Hochschule f?r Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Germany.

Selected Press Quotes in English

“…he impressed with his virtuosic skill, lyrical gift and demeanor at the piano.” – Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Sakata displayed remarkable technique, particularly when playing the many decorative grace notes and the powerfully thick, punctuating chords ever-present in Rachmaninoff’s very personal style. The tall young pianist projected an intense energy suited to the composition, and conductor Randal Craig Fleischer and the orchestra performed with poise and ?lan. The audience reacted with thunderous applause.”－Cleveland Classical
“Tomoki Sakata collaborated in one of the most enjoyable chamber-music experiences thus far. Here was a Schumann Piano Quintet aptly scaled in every respect: tempo, dynamics and balances. In a nicely interactive performance, in which the musicians genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves, nothing was hurried, nothing forced. Schumann sounded like Schumann, and that’s a high compliment.” – Dallas Morning News
“Tomoki Sakata, a formidably gifted 19-year-old, demonstrated virtuosity, considerable color and expressivity in the first book of Debussy’s ?tudes.” – Dallas Morning News
“He is a 19-year-old who plays beyond his years. He played impeccably, with a pristine touch and elegant phrasing.” – Cincinnati Enquirer
“All of his considerable technical prowess was on display. His interpretation has a way to go before it is fully mature, but this youthful overabundance of talent lent its own visceral excitement to this performance. The audience went wild when it was over.” – Theater Jones
“Sakata displayed an awesome technique, and he made some music in the process.” – Theater Jones
“Sakata brought taste and clarity to the work. His phrasing was polished and he interacted sensitively with the orchestra.”