Facing the sound, facing the player.
The highest-ranking tuning technicians (MPA) were responsible for creating the sound of the full concert piano and were behind the success of the competition.
They pursue the pianist's higher-order demands without compromising a single note.
They face the sound, face the player, and breathe life of sound into the piano.
The mastery by "MPA" affects the sound of every ShigeruKawai pianos.
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KAWAI's Piano tuners
All of KAWAI's piano tuners who support international competitions are MPA (Master Piano Artisan), the highest qualification in the company.
About Us
When they first joined KAWAI, they worked hard to improve their skills while tuning pianos in homes throughout the city.
In pursuit of the ideal sound, they went through several years of overseas training (Germany, Italy, etc.) and passed a difficult examination to become MPAs.
Since then, he has been pursuing the "will of a single note" and aiming higher every day at the Shigeru Kawai Research Institute. -
Alexander Gadjiev
2nd Prize at the 18th Chopin Competition
Musical experience and Central European culture: Alexander Gadjiev owes this on the one hand to his family, where both parents are piano teachers and musicians, and on the other hand to his hometown, the Italian-Slovenian border town of Gorizia, a natural crossroads of peoples, cultures and languages. Both factors have a decisive influence on his natural ability to absorb and process different musical styles and languages and to reshape them to his own taste. Alexander speaks 5 languages: Italian, Slovenian, English, German, Russian.
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He is the cultural ambassador of his hometown "Nova Gorica/Gorizia, European Capital of Culture 2025".
In 2021 he wins the 1st prize at the International Piano Competition in Sydney as well as the 2nd prize of the International Chopin Competition and special prize "Krystian Zimerman Prize for the Performance of a Chopin Sonata".
From 2019 to 2021, Gadjiev is a "BBC New Generation Artist", which gives him the opportunity to perform at renowned British festivals and concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, London, among others, and to collaborate with various orchestras. In the process, all his concerts are recorded and broadcast by the BBC. He is also the 2022 winner of the Terence Judd Award, which will lead to further engagements with the Hallé Orchestra until 2023.
At the age of 20, he wins 1st prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, where he also receives the "Audience Award", and at 22, 1st prize at the "World Piano Masters" in Montecarlo.
Taught by his father, Alexander plays with an orchestra for the first time at the age of nine and gives his first solo concert at the age of ten. In 2013, he finishes his school education with top grades. This enables him to take part in the Premio Venezia - a competition reserved for the best young talents in Italy - and win the 30th edition of this prize. He will subsequently study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Pavel Gililov and at the Hanns- Eisler-Hochschule in Berlin with Eldar Nebolsin, graduating in spring 2022.
Alexander Gadjiev regularly accepts invitations from Europe, Asia, the USA, including: Verbier Festival, MiTo Festival in Turin, "Chopin" Festival in Duszniki, Piano Festival Rafael Orozco in Cordoba, Ljubljana Festival, Bologna Festival, Settimane Musicali at Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Festival Animato de Paris, Salzburg Festival, Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron, Teatro La Fenice, Kioi Hall and Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Kitara Concert Hall in Sapporo, Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Osaka, Salle Cortot in Paris, Moscow Conservatory, Aldeburgh Festival, concert halls in Salt Lake City, Istanbul, Barcelona, Rome, Milan.
As a soloist, Alexander Gadjiev now performs with numerous orchestras, such as the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Orchestra Sinfonica del Teatro della Fenice, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
In April 2022 he makes his triumphant debut with the "Orchestra Nazionale della Rai" under the baton of Fabio Luisi, which leads to an immediate re-invitation. In October / November 2022 he will tour Australia and Southeast Asia for more than 50 days, a tour of Japan is announced for early summer 2023.
There are numerous recordings for radio and television both in the studio and during his concerts. In 2018 his debut album "Literary Fantasies" with pieces by Liszt and Schumann will be released on the Acousense label, as well as the live recording of the International Piano Competition in Sydney on DECCA in 2021.I think SHIGERU KAWAI is the ideal piano nowadays to perform the music of Frederic Chopin.
SHIGERU KAWAI brings with it some memories of the old Pleyels that Chopin himself used for his unforgettable music: its tone it is not focused only on the attack, as most pianos do today, but especially on the natural continuation and fading of the sound.
Its warm tone and soft feeling in the keyboard enables the pianist to create a varied palette of colours, especially in the piano dynamic.
All these qualities help us create the illusion of legato and to beautifully sing on this wonderful instrument. Cantabile and dolce are two words that go hand in hand with SHIGERU KAWAI. -
J J Jun Li Bui
6th Prize at the 18th Chopin Competition
Canadian-born pianist JJ Jun Li Bui won the 6th prize at the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 17, the youngest competitor of the competition.
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He has also won prizes in competitions such as the 2nd Beijing International Chopin Piano Competition for Young Pianists (2019), the Van Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition (2019), the Hanoi International Piano Competition (2018), and the Aarhus International Piano Competition (2017).
JJ has frequently performed recitals in North America and has made appearances in Europe and Asia. He has also played with orchestras such as the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, the China Guiyang Symphony Orchestra, the China Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kindred Spirits Orchestra, and the Royal Conservatory of Music Academy Chamber Orchestra. Upcoming highlights include concerts in Japan, Poland, the United States, and Germany.
JJ has previously studied at the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy of the Royal Conservatory of Music, under Michael Berkovsky and Wang Li. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree thorugh the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Professor Dang Thai Son.The music of Frederic Chopin is playful, dramatic, profound, poignant…
SHIGERU KAWAI enables the performer to express these desires to the fullest extent.
With its immaculate control and captivating sound,it is a true joy to play on a SHIGERU KAWAI. -
Hyuk Lee
Finalist of the 18th Chopin Competition
Hyuk Lee was born in Seoul on 4 January 2000, began his career in music as a student of violin and piano when he was just three years old.
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He had great enthusiasm for listening to music and learning musical instruments since He was very young, and He continued to enjoy his interest in music and decided to study music, particularly at Sunhwa Pre-college Music Academy in Seoul, and also do homeschooling for the general school program.
After taking the grand prize at the 2009 Little Mozart Competition, he had the privilege of being invited by the Mirabell Chamber Orchestra to a concert in Salzburg, Austria. Since that time, as a pianist, He has been aiming for a bigger development. He began to take the challenge of studying piano more and more seriously.
In 2012, When He was 12 years old, He had the honor of being the youngest person to win the grand prize at the 8th Moscow International F.Chopin Competition for Young Pianists and winning the Best Concerto Award prize for his performance with orchestra.
In 2014, At the age of 14, he moved to Moscow. and He entered Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory when he was 16 years old where he was taught by Prof. Vladimir Ovchinnikov
In 2016, At the age of 16, he won the 10th Paderewski Competition which was the first senior piano competition for him, as the youngest contestant in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
He also won 3rd prize at the 10th Hamamatsu Competition in Japan in 2018.
In 2021, he reached the final at the XVIII Warsaw Chopin Competition, and shortly after, he won the Animato Competition in Paris - Chopin Edition in December 2021.
He is currently doing his degree "Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste" at the École Normale de Musique in Paris.
Aside from his academic schedule, he has been steadily pursuing a wide range of music studies, from the Baroque era to contemporary music, through masterclasses around the world.
Since 2012, Hyuk Lee had been officially sponsored by the Doosan Yonkang Foundation in Korea for all his musical activities, including his studies. He has built up a diverse repertoire through his steady studies. He is spreading his music world by performing in prestigious concerts halls such as Rudolfinum, Smetana Hall (Prague), Warsaw Philharmonic, Grand Hall of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Kioi Hall(Tokyo), Hamamatsu Act City Main Hall, Salle Cortot(Paris), Kyiv Philharmonic, Kharkiv Philharmonic Hall, etc.Kawai pianos have a very deep and rich sound from the lower registers.
And in the upper voice, the clear sound is very strong point.
So, it is very attractive that the two strengths harmonize very well and can produce a variety of colors during the performance.
And, it's of course a subtle difference, but I think it's very good thing that the keyboard surface is a little wider and there is less chance of accidentally touching other notes while playing.
The Kawai staff were perfect partners who cared for everything with kindness and dedication throughout the Chopin Competition.
In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to the tuning team who worked hard to make the best piano without even sleeping in the early morning for tuning the piano.
1993 Joined the company
2004 Became the main tuner for the International Piano Competition.
2018 Served as main tuner for the 10th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition and helped Can Çakmur, who selected the Kawai SK-EX, to win the first prize.
2021 Served as the main tuner for the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition, where he helped Alexander Gadjiev win the 2nd prize and J J Jun Li Bui win the 6th prize.
2004 Joined the company
2019 Served as main tuner for the 11th Paderewski International Piano Competition and helped Yasuko Furumi, who selected the Kawai SK-EX, win 3rd place.
2021 Served as sub-tuner for the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition.
2005 Joined the company
2019 Served as a sub-tuner for the 7th Sendai International Music (Piano) Competition.
2021 Served as a sub-tuner for the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition.