Pianist Tomoki Sakata Awarded the 38th Music Pen Club Award in the Solo Artist Category

Pianist Tomoki Sakata has been named the winner of the 38th Music Pen Club Award in the Solo Artist (Classical) category for the 2025 season.

The Music Pen Club Award is presented annually by the Music Pen Club Japan—an organization of approximately 130 critics, writers, musicologists, composers, and performers active in the fields of Classical, Popular, and Audio music—to recognize outstanding musical achievements of the year.

・The “Years of Pilgrimage” Project: The successful completion of a nine-recital series at Hakuju Hall, featuring the complete cycle of Beethoven’s nine symphonies transcribed for piano by Franz Liszt.

For more details regarding the award, please visit the official Music Pen Club Japan (in Japanese only)
website: http://www.musicpenclub.com/prize/prize38.pdf

Tomoki Sakata, Pianist

Tomoki Sakata first garnered international acclaim after winning First Prize and six special awards at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in 2016. In 2021, he further solidified his global standing as a Fourth Prize winner at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition.

His career is marked by numerous accolades, including the 32nd Idemitsu Music Award (2023), the 72nd Kanagawa Culture Award (Future Award), and the 27th Hotel Okura Music Award. He has performed in over 20 countries and is a regular guest at major international music festivals.

Beyond his virtuosity as a performer, Tomoki Sakata is a celebrated composer and arranger. His piano transcriptions of “Vocalise” and “Après un rêve”, as well as his original “Sonatine for Alto Saxophone and Piano”, are published by Ongaku No Tomo Sha.

◆Tomoki Sakata Artist Page
⇒ https://www.japanarts.co.jp/en/artist/tomokisakata/