Yutaka Nishimura, Pianist
…A true artist. In the first instance, I was thoroughly impressed by her tremendous sensitivity, tasteful approach to interpretation, and the combination of her rich imagination with her keen pursuit of sound.
– Maria Tipo
Japanese pianist Yutaka Nishimura is distinguished by her musical versatility and is an active soloist and collaborative pianist in the realm of both lied and chamber music.
She has graced major concert halls and festivals across the globe, such as Gasteig in Munich, Germany; the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria; Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, Watanabe Memorial Hall in Ube, Japan; as well as Comunale di Ferrara, Teatro Nuovo di Verona, the Corsanico Festival in Lucca, Dino Ciani Festival in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Sagra Musicale Malatestiana in Rimini, Italy.
Born in Ube, Japan, Nishimura began piano lessons at the age of five. In 2003, she began her training in Florence, Italy, where she studied with Enrico Meyer at the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato G. Lettimi. After graduating with a Diploma in Piano Performance with honours in 2006, she continued as an advanced student under the tutelage of renowned pianists Maria Tipo and Pietro De Maria, and received lessons in chamber music performance with the Trio di Parma at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, Florence.
Sponsored by a special scholarship in 2011, she also attended the Accademia Chigiana in Siena to study with Alexander Lonquich.
The young pianist came to Germany in 2012 to pursue her passion for lied at the Munich University of Music, where she studied with Donald Sulzen, Helmut Deutsch and Rudi Spring. She graduated with a Masters in Collaborative Piano Specialising in Lied and full marks in 2014.
Nishimura obtained further artistic impulses through masterclasses with Aldo Ciccolini, Riccardo Risaliti, Jeffrey Swann, Anna Malikova and Elisso Wirssaladze.
Nishimura has been a finalist at numerous national and international competitions. Some of her awards include first place at the Cittá di Cesenatico (2006), third place and a distinguished F.I.D.A.P.A. prize at the Luciano Gante Competition (2011), and second place at the Massarosa Piano Competition (2011).
Additionally, she was granted several scholarships, such as the L. Bellini and the Rudolk Serkin scholarships, and was also sponsored by the Lion’s Club of Rimini Malatesta on multiple occasions.
From 2009-2012, Nishimura held a teaching assistant position as an accompanist for several professors at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, Florence, including Thomas Indermühle, Luca Franzetti, Paolo Grazia (first oboe for the Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna), Lorenza Borrani (concertmaster for the Chamber Orchestra of Europe) as well as for the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana. She has since been a sought after accompanist for numerous international competitions and masterclasses.
Yutaka Nishimura is currently living in Munich, Germany, where, outside of her busy performing schedule, she is also a piano teacher at multiple music schools. Furthermore, she is the musical director of the new opera ensemble “Opera Momento”.
