Born in Muroran, Hokkaido, pianist Kyoko Tabe has won many acclaimed competitions and awards, including first prize at the prestigious Japan Music Competition at the age of 17 while attending the affiliated high school of Tokyo University of the Arts. Her studies continued at the Universität der Künste Berlin. During her studies in Germany, she was awarded first prizes at the Épinal International Piano Competition and the Schnabel Competition, and received third prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. Tabe has performed with many renowned orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony, and the Moscow Philharmonic, to name but a few. She is also highly regarded in chamber music, collaborating with many of the world’s top artists. With over 35 CDs including works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Debussy, Grieg, Schumann, Brahms, Beethoven, and more, her recordings have garnered international attention, receiving high praise from Stereo Review (USA), BBC Music Magazine (UK), and Phonoform (Germany). Given top-rankings from Japan’s Record Geijitsu Magazine for her CD “Brahms: Late Piano Works and Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21,” Tabe also received the Record Academy Award (Japan) for her recording of the “Trout” Quintet & Schumann’s Piano Quintet with the Carmina Quartet. Her recording of Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21 was also ranked first on a Swiss broadcast in a blind interpretation test including world-renowned pianists. Tabe’s recital series, which started in 2003 in collaboration with Hamarikyu Asahi Hall and featured composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, and Brahms, continued through her highly acclaimed 2016-2022 "Schubert Plus" series. Her newly launched 2024 “―SHINKA― Evolution × Depth × Innovation” recital series has also received resounding praise. Previous concert highlights include a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in D Major, Op. 61a and the “Emperor” Concerto in a single evening at Suntory Hall in 2020. Her premiere of renowned Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu’s concerto arrangement of Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21 and dedicated to Tabe, attracted widespread attention in 2002, and Yoshimatsu has since dedicated his Memo Flora and Pleiades Dances to her as well. In 2023, celebrating the 30th anniversary of her debut CD, Tabe’s new CD “Melody” was released to critical acclaim. As one of Japan’s leading pianists, she continues her active career and serves as a professor at the Toho Gakuen Graduate School.
This is her first appearance at PMF.