NORITAKA ITO
PIANIST

Concert pianist based in Hiroshima, Japan. Professor at Fukuyama Heisei University; Visiting Professor at Hiroshima University.

About

NORITAKA ITO – Piano

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Born in 1978, Noritaka Ito studied in Amsterdam and Berlin. He won First Prize at the 18th Città di Valentino International Competition (Italy) and First Prize at the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition (USA). He has performed in major cities throughout Japan and internationally, including the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Serbia, Malaysia and Korea. Invited by Villa Medici and the Japan Cultural Institute in Rome, he presented the complete piano works of Kenji Sakai, and continues an ongoing project in close collaboration with the composer. In recent years he has focused on bridging the core classical repertoire with contemporary works, earning high acclaim in Japan and abroad for his performance and promotion of the music of Japanese composer Kenji Sakai. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik and the German public broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.

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He has appeared with the Slovak National Theatre Opera Orchestra and many other orchestras in Japan and abroad. As a chamber musician, he has performed with members of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Saito Kinen Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Osaka Symphony Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Malaysian National Symphony Orchestra.

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His recordings include "Beethoven, Activated" and "Beethoven/Liszt: Symphony No. 7 and other works" on Disc Classica, a CD by Trio ku featuring four world-premiere recordings on Kreuzberg Records (Berlin), and digital albums of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and Brahms' "Piano Sonata No. 3" on iNos Records, distributed in 111 countries and regions via iTunes, Amazon Music and other services.

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In recent years he has also taken up conducting, expanding his activities as conductor of the Sanpal Orchestra.

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Deeply committed to education, he serves as Professor at Fukuyama Heisei University, Visiting Professor at Hiroshima University and part-time lecturer at the Graduate School of Elisabeth University of Music, and has given masterclasses at SEGi College University in Malaysia and workshops at Tokyo Wonder Site.

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In May 2025, he performed the national anthem as a piano solo at the professional baseball game Hiroshima Toyo Carp vs. Yomiuri Giants at MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima, drawing a great response.

Highlights

• First Prize, 18th Città di Valentino International Competition (Italy) / First Prize, Golden Classical Music Awards (USA)
• Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Stuttgart Philharmonic (2026)
• Complete piano works of Kenji Sakai presented in Rome (Villa Medici / Japan Cultural Institute in Rome)
• Featured in The New York Times, Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
• National anthem performed as a piano solo at MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (2025)
• Chamber music with members of the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Saito Kinen Orchestra

Project

Schubert × Kenji Sakai

Silence and Eternity in Dialogue — a three-year recital project pairing Schubert's late works with the music of contemporary Japanese composer Kenji Sakai. The first recital took place at Hakuju Hall, Tokyo, in October 2026.

Selected Performances