Description
First prize at the national piano competition in Japan at the age of 19. First prize at the CNSM of Paris with the special Monique de la Brucholerie prize, Akiko Ebi received the 2nd Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition along with four special prizes awarded by A. Rubinstein and others. She was a laureate of the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1980. Among her many awards are: 2 Gold Discs in Japan, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, the Exxon-Mobile Music Prize (Japan), and more.
Active in 37 countries as a musician, participating in festivals, recordings for TV and Radio broadcasted in many countries worldwide: in Japan, Europe, the USA, Canada, Central and South America, Russia, China, and the Middle East.
She has performed with many world orchestras, including the NHK Symphony, most Japanese orchestras, the Nouvel Philharmonique de Radio France Orchestra, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Warsaw, the National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina, the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, major British orchestras, etc. The conductors she has played with include Skrowaczewski, Brüggen, Janowski, Sinaisky, Foster, Sado, Guschlbauer, Calderón, Milanov, Klee, Wolinska, Pommier, among others. A piano-duo concert in Lyon with Martha Argerich and Akiko Ebi was broadcast on TV repeatedly in many countries in Europe, as well as in Israel and Japan.
Ebi has recorded 12 CD albums, including works by Chopin, chamber music, Piano Quintets for strings by Webern, Franck, Pierné, as well as in duo with violinist Yumino Toyoda playing Fauré and Lekeu.
She is the president of the Chopin Society in Japan and the chairperson of the committee of the Yokohama International Piano Concert. She is also frequently invited to serve on the juries of international competitions such as the Chopin competition in Warsaw, the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition, Clara Haskil, Santander, Maria Canals, Gina Bachauer, and others.
