Waka Hasegawa

Since making her critically acclaimed London South Bank Centre solo debut in the Park Lane Group Concert Series in 2000, Waka Hasegawa has regularly performed at many venues both in UK and abroad. Her recent concerts including recitals at the National Cherry Blossom Festival at Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, Windsor Festival, the Newark Festival, Wigmore Hall, South Bank Centre, Fairfield Hall, Bridgewater Hall and St George’s Bristol. Waka won many prizes and competitions including 3rd Prize in the 2000 British Contemporary Piano Competition and 2nd prize in the Brant Piano Competition in 1996 as well as having both live and recorded performances broadcasted on BBC Radio 3, BBC World Service, WFMT Radio Chicago. Waka was made Associates of the Royal Academy of Music in 2008.

Japanese pianist Waka came to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Piers Lane with major scholarship and then at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Joan Havill where she on most of the major prizes for pianists. During this time she was awarded major prizes and scholarships including Sidney Perry Foundation Award from the KPMG/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, generous assistance from the Craxton Memorial Trust.

As well as her solo career, she has an internationally successful piano duo Piano 4 Hands with English Pianist Joseph Tong. Piano 4 Hands were prize winners at the 2003 Tokyo International Piano Duo Competition and the Schubert International Piano Duo Competition. Piano 4 Hands have given recitals throughout the UK as well as in Japan, Germany and the USA. Since making their critically acclaimed London debut in the Park Lane Group Series in 2002, Joseph and Waka have given several highly successful Wigmore Hall recitals promoted by the Kirckman Concert Society. A number of composers have written new works especially for the duo including Dai Fujikura, Motoki Hirai, Robert Keeley, Nicola LeFanu and Edwin Roxburgh whilst future commissions include a new work by John McCabe, which they will première at Wigmore Hall in March 2009.

Their debut CD of Debussy duets on the Quartz label was Album of the Week in The Independent and highly recommended in BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone Magazine and the Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music. Future recording plans include Schubert duets and a CD of Röntgen for Toccata Classics. Their duo selected for the Making Music Concert Promoters’ Network Scheme for the 2009-10 season. Joseph Tong and Waka Hasegawa are Artistic Directors of the Bristol International Piano Duo Festival, to be held at St George’s Bristol and Bristol University from 14th-18th October 2009.

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4/5/09: Waka Hasegawa

Pianist Waka Hasegawa performs a recital in celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan.

Waka Hasegawa

Pianist Waka Hasegawa performs a recital in celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan.

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