Asuka Sakuma started playing the piano at age 3. She received the A1 Gold Prize from the Piano Teachers’ National Association (PTNA) at age 6. At age 7, she represented Japan in the Premio Mozart International Competition and won both 3rd Place and the Premio Mozart Award. She was invited to Italy to perform live on the Italian TV program “Zecchino d'Oro” at age 8. She then toured across Europe, garnering acclaim in each country where she performed. She won 3rd Place in the Elementary School Students’ Division of the Vienna Music Competition in Japan at age 12. Two years later, she gave a recital at the Fuchu no Mori Art Theater. She won 2nd Place in the Junior High School Students’ Division of the Japan Classical Music Competition at age 15, and 3rd Place in the Carl Czerny International Piano Competition at 16. She also took the top prize in the PTNA Concerto Division. After graduating from high school, Sakuma went on to study a broad range of styles outside classical music, including jazz and pop music, and for the next five years she supported artists of various genres, composed lyrics, and made jazz arrangements for classical musicians. She returned to classical music with renewed confidence in her approach, winning 1st Place in the Grand Muse Division A1 Category of the 29th PTNA Piano Competition for her performance of Kapustin. Her style of bringing a groove-feel into classical performance and her innovative arrangements not only transcend genres, but also evoke new sensations and emotions in the audience without falling within the framework of classical music. Her current focus is on building bridges between genres as a pianist. This is her first appearance at PMF.