| Japan
"…pianism of the highest order" – The Times
Noriko Ogawa has achieved considerable international recognition since her success at the Leeds International Piano Competition. Noriko’s “ravishingly poetic playing” (The Telegraph) sets her apart from the contemporaries, and the acclaim for the complete Debussy series with BIS Records — “If you like your Debussy to sound like the musical equivalent of a chilled white wine, Noriko Ogawa is the pianist for you” (Roger Vignoles, BBC Radio 3) — confirms her status as a distinguished Debussy specialist. As an exclusive recording artist for BIS Records, Noriko Ogawa’s most recent releases include music by Xiaogang Ye with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the fifth volume in her acclaimed series of Erik Satie’s piano music. Her extensive discography spans composers from Mozart, Rachmaninov, Satie, and Debussy, to contemporary figures such as Alexander Tcherepnin, Vagn Holmboe, and Yoshihiro Kanno, amounting to a prolific catalogue of over 30 albums. Highlights include Takemitsu’s Riverrun (Editor’s Choice, Gramophone), Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition (Critics’ Choice, BBC Music Magazine), the complete piano works of Debussy, and a full collection of Erik Satie’s solo piano music.
A respected professor and sought-after guest educator, Noriko Ogawa holds teaching positions at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Tokyo College of Music, and serves as music director of the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy. She is also a visiting professor for Yamaha Masterclasses and at Chetham’s International Piano Summer School, where she is set to return this summer. Additional teaching engagements this season include the Yeon Cheon Piano Academy in South Korea. Alongside her active performing and teaching career, Noriko regularly serves as a jury member at major international competitions. Recent adjudications include the Rubinstein Piano Competition, Cleveland International Piano Competition, Leeds International Piano Competition, Japan National Music Competition, International Edvard Grieg Competition (Norway), International Paderewski Piano Competition, ARD International Music Competition, Honens International Piano Competition, Xiamen International Piano Competition, and the Scottish International Piano Competition. She is also a former chairperson of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.
Highlights of the 2023/24 season include performances at the Wigmore Hall and the Oxford Piano Festival, the world premiere of a new sonata by Joseph Phibbs in Japan, a UK tour with saxophonist Huw Wiggin, and concerto appearances with the Sendai Philharmonic and Kawasaki Symphony Orchestras. Noriko also served on juries for various competitions, including the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition, the Japan National Music Competition, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in South Korea. Additionally, she presented the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition’s first UK gala concert at the Kings Place, performing alongside Hamamatsu winner of 2018 Can Çakmur.
In 2025, Noriko gave the world premiere of Yoshihiro Kanno’s Piano Concerto No. 1 “Mirror Maze” with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. This season also featured a series of recitals in the Channel Islands, as well as adjudication roles at several prestigious competitions, including the Singapore International Piano Competition, the Kawai International Piano Competition, and the Dublin International Piano Competition.
Noriko is deeply committed to charity work, particularly following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in early 2011. Since then, she has raised over £40,000 for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Fund, and remains dedicated to continued fundraising efforts. She is also the founder of Jamie’s Concerts—a concert series created for autistic children and their parents—and serves as a cultural ambassador for the National Autistic Society.
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