Akira Eguchi, piano

Akira Eguchi

Acclaimed for his extraordinary artistry, maturity and intelligence, (New York Times) Akira Eguchi has captivated audiences and critics throughout the world as a piano soloist, chamber musician, harpsichord player and collaborative pianist.
Since making his highly acclaimed New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1992, Mr. Eguchi has performed in the foremost music centers of the United States, Europe, and the Far East. Praised as a "pianist of fluency and rectitude" by The New York Times, his appearances in the United States include Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the 92nd Street Y in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Musikverein in Vienna, Barbican Centre in London, Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. Distinguished for his performances for heads of State, Mr. Eguchi has played for President Clinton presented by Isaac Stern at the White House and for the Emperor and Empress of Japan at Hamarikyu Ashahi Hall in Tokyo. Mr. Eguchi has been featured in numerous tours of the United States, France, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, encompassing numerous recitals and concerts with many of those countries' foremost ensembles.
In great demand as a chamber musician, Mr. Eguchi has performed at the Aspen, Ravinia, and Newport festivals in the United States, Nagano-Aspen and Pacific in Japan, the Japan Festival in London, and the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, La Folle Journee in France. His radio and television credits include performances on WQXR and WNCN in New York, NPR, NHK of Japan, KBS of Korea, Radio France, BBC, PBS, and NBC, amongst others. More than 40 disks are available from Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, Denon, Marquis Classics, Victor, IDC, BMG, Kosei publishing, Canary/Vanguard, AVEX, Octavia, and NYS Classics.

Mr. Eguchi is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes, including the prestigious William Petchek Award and the William Schuman Prize from The Juilliard School for outstanding achievement and leadership in music, first prize at both the Gina Bachauer International Scholarship Competition and the Brahms Piano Concerto Competition at Juilliard, awards at the International Chamber Music Competition in Paris, and the Aleida Schweitzer Award for the outstanding accompanist at the International Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poland. Also active as a composer, Mr. Eguchi's works include cadenzas for the Mozart Violin Concertos K.216, K.219, commissioned by Kyoko Takezawa and Julian Rachlin, and for the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major, which was commissioned by Ko Iwasaki. In 2003, Gershwin Piano Selections, arranged by Eguchi was published from Zen-On. Also, piano trio version of Faure's Apres un Reve arranged by Eguchi was published from International Music Company in June 2007.

Born in Tokyo, Mr. Eguchi received a degree in Music Composition from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where he subsequently served as a faculty member. Mr. Eguchi received his Master's Degree in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School. He has studied with Herbert Stessin, Samuel Sanders, Hitoshi Toyama, Shin Sato, Akira Kitamura, Ichiro Mononobe, and Akiko Kanazawa.
Currently living in New York City and Tokyo, on the faculty of CUNY Brooklyn College. Recently, he was appointed as an Associate Professor at Tokyo National University of the Arts. He also is a guest professor of Senzoku-Gakuen Music College in Japan.