NEWS
2025.07.01
9th Sendai International Piano Competition: Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano selected by 1st prize winner
At the 9th Sendai International Music Competition Piano Section held from June 14th to 29th, 2025, in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, 1st prize winner performed using the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano.
Held every three years, the Sendai International Music Competition Piano Section is one of the most prestigious international piano competitions in Japan. At this year’s 9th competition, each of the six finalists performed two piano concertos with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and the first prize winner, Elizaveta UKRAINSKAIA selected the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX throughout each round of the competition.
Kawai has provided instruments for official selection in the Sendai International Music Competition since the inaugural event was held in 2001, with four out of the six finalists in the 2nd competition held in 2003 selecting Kawai. At the 8th edition held in 2022, all six finalists performed using the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano at the final round. In addition, the top three prizewinners, LUO Jiaqing, Jonas AUMILLER and OTA Shion selected the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX throughout each round of the competition.
9th Sendai International Music Competition (Piano Section) : Final Result
| 1st Prize / Audience Prize | Elizaveta UKRAINSKAIA | Russia | Shigeru Kawai SK-EX |
| 2nd Prize / Audience Prize | Aleksandr KLIUCHKO | Russia | – |
| 3rd Prize / Audience Prize | Kaoru AMANO | Japan | – |
| 4th Prize | Julian GAST | Germany | – |
| 5th Prize | Riito SHIMATA | Japan | – |
| 6th Prize | Jan NIKOVICH | Croatia | – |
| Jury Encouragement Prize | Jinwoo BAE | Korea | – |
Elizaveta Ukrainskaia (1st prize winner)
■ About the Sendai International Music Competition
The Sendai International Music Competition was established by the City of Sendai in 2001 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the city, and is held every three years. The SIMC emphasises the importance of the concerto, with contestants performing with a full orchestra in both the semi-final and final rounds.
Official website: https://simc.jp/en/
■ About the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano
Unveiled in 2001 as the flagship instrument of the Shigeru Kawai line, the SK-EX concert grand piano is hand-crafted in limited numbers following a unique ‘prototyping’ creation process. In order to achieve the supreme range of expression required in a concert piano, each instrument utilises a variety of carefully selected materials, with premium aged spruce soundboards. Shigeru Kawai instruments adopt the advanced Millennium III keyboard action, featuring extended wooden keys and advanced ABS Carbon action parts, providing superior speed and responsiveness than conventional wooden action parts, allowing pianists to express a greater range of feeling and emotion in their performance.
Shigeru Kawai official website: https://www.shigerukawai.jp/en/
