Akihiro Sakiya - Sydney International Piano Competition

Background

Nationality Japan

Place of Birth Hyogo

Date of Birth October 15, 1988

Prizes

2015 Finalist Prize: Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition (Santander, Spain)

2014 First Prize, Spanish Music Prize and Audience Prize: International Piano Competition “Premio Jaén” (Jaén, Spain)

2013 Third Prize (equal): Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition (Bolzano, Italy)

2011 First Prize: International Piano Competition of Lyon (Lyon, France)

2006 Second Prize (no First prize awarded): International Piano Competition AMA Calabria (Lamezi Terme, Italy)

Akihiro Sakiya began his piano studies at the age of six, studying in Japan until he was eighteen. From 2008 to 2012 he studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris as a pupil of Professor Jacques Rouvier, graduating as Dux. He continued his studies at the graduate school of Tokyo University of the Arts with Professor Akiyoshi Sako, gaining his Master’s and Doctoral degrees.

Akihiro has given many recitals around Europe, Asia, North and South America, including the Yokohama International Piano Concert, Festival de Nohant and Saõ Paulo Beethoven Exhibition. He has performed with many distinguished orchestras including Osaka Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española.

Akihiro has been working on a progressive recording project of Beethoven’s complete Piano Sonatas, with five CDs already released. Another CD, Akihiro Sakiya Piano Recital was released in 2015. In August 2019 he made his debut as a conductor, leading Salon Opera’s production of Don Giovanni.

Gallery

Upcoming Competition Repertoire

Preliminaries

Preliminary Round 1: 20-Minute Recital

Heitor Villa-Lobos: from Ciclo brasileiro W.374

II. Impressões seresteiras

Claude Debussy: 12 Préludes Book 2 L.123

VII. La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune

Percy Grainger: from Free Settings of Favourite Melodies

VII. Fauré: Après un Rêve Op.7 No.1

Sergei Rachmaninoff: from Études-tableaux Op.39

No.9 Allegro moderato. Tempo di marcia

Preliminary Round 2: 30-Minute Recital

Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 in C# minor S.244

Johann Sebastian Bach: English Suite No.5 in E minor BWV 810

I. Prélude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Passepied I
Vl. Passepied II
Vll. Gigue

Semi-Finals

Semi Finals Round 1: 65-Minute Recital

Alexander Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.9 Op.68 ‘Black Mass’

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.11 in B♭ Major Op.22

I. Allegro con brio
II. Adagio con molto espressione
III. Menuetto – Trio
VI. Rondo. Allegretto

Franz Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor S.178

Semi Final Round 2: Chamber Music

Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 in G Major Op.78

I. Vivace, ma non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Allegro molto moderato

AND

Fritz Kreisler: Syncopation

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano No.2 in G minor Op.5 No.2

I. Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo

II. Allegro molto più tosto presto

III. Rondo. Allegro

AND

Niccolò Paganini / Pierre Fournier: Introduction and Variations on one string on a theme from Rossini’s ‘Moses in Egypt’

Finals

Final Round 1: Concerto with String Orchestra

Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto No.1 in D minor BWV 1052

I. Allegro

II. Adagio

III. Allegro

Final Round 2: Concerto with Symphony Orchestra

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E♭ Major Op.73 ‘Emperor’

I. Allegro

II. Adagio un poco moto

III. Rondo. Allegro