Rio Takahashi

Born in Gifu, Japan, Rio Takahashi began studying the Electone at the age of four and the piano at seven. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from Tokyo University of the Arts, where she focused her master’s studies on the solo piano works of Samuel Barber. Upon graduation, she was selected to perform in a concert featuring the institution’s top graduates.

She continued her studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, completing the postgraduate program, and is currently pursuing the Konzertexamen program at the Freiburg University of Music.

Her accolades include Second Prize, the Jury Special Prize, and the KNS Classical Prize at the 12th Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition in Vienna, Austria. She also received Second Prize at the 24th Hida Kawai Music Competition, a Merit Award at the 15th Chopin International Piano Competition in Asia, Third Prize in the high school category of the 24th Japan Classical Music Competition, a Gold Prize in the general category of the 4th Gifu Piano Competition, and finalist recognition at both the 41st PTNA Piano Competition in the Duo Piano category and the 25th International Music Competition ‘Pietro Argento’ in Italy.

In addition to her solo performances, she is deeply engaged in chamber music and ensemble work, including piano accompaniment. Her repertoire spans a wide range of styles, with a particular focus on 20th-century works by composers such as Samuel Barber, Sergei Prokofiev, and Maurice Ravel, as well as classical works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn.

She has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists Vladimir Voskresensky, Sándor Falvai, and István Lantos. Her piano teachers include Yuka Kuroki, Noriyo Nishi, Yu Kakuno, Mami Hagiwara, and Peter Lang, with further studies in piano duo performance under Yu Kakuno and Andreas Groethuysen. She is currently under the tutelage of Gilead Mishory.