Rieko Yoshizumi

Rieko Yoshizumi was born in Oita on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. She received her first piano lessons at the age of four. After attending Tokyo’s national music high school (Geiko), she studied piano (with Akiko Iguchi) and music education at the Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai). Her versatility was already evident during her studies, when she learned the harpsichord as an additional instrument, was in great demand as a vocal accompanist, and was the lead singer in a rock/pop band.

Yoshizumi pursued postgraduate studies in Germany, where she completed her piano studies with the concert exam degree at the Detmold University of Music in the soloist class of Friedrich Wilhelm Schnurr. She received further inspiration from Roberto Szidon. As a soloist, she has made guest appearances with a number of orchestras, including the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra Reutlingen, the Berlin Virtuosos, and the Detmold Soloists, in Europe, Japan, and Peru.

In addition to her numerous piano recitals and solo appearances with orchestras, Yoshizumi is a passionate chamber musician. As a founding member of the Trio Tre Mondi and the Duo Avad and as a chamber music partner of other ensembles, she has made numerous radio productions and recordings as well as CD productions. The world premiere recording of Jenö Takács’ Trio Rhapsody, Op. 11 received outstanding reviews, as did her GENUIN debut album.

Yoshizumi’s concert career encompasses invitations to renowned concert series and festivals in Europe, Asia, South America, and Lebanon. She captivates audiences with her interpretations, which feature a sensitive, imaginative, and at the same time clearly structured and powerfully impetuous style of playing.

Yoshizumi has been an instructor at the Detmold University of Music and has taught at the Dresden College of Music since 1994, having been appointed honorary professor in 2000. She gives master classes for piano and chamber music in Spain, Japan, and Peru and is regularly invited to the Czech Republic as a juror at one of the country’s international piano competitions.

Picture: Jan Gutzeit