Yuko Ninomiya

Yuko Ninomiya studied piano from her age of four under her mother, Kikuko Yamaguchi and her aunt, Yoshie Kohra. She also studied with such renowned teachers as Akiko Iguchi, Leonid Kochanski and Max Egger until her graduation in 1961 from High School Division of Toho School of Music.

After she has won the First Prize of the 29th NHK-Mainichi competition in Japan and has received the Fulbright Scholarship she continued her study at Juilliard School with Prof. Beverage Webster. During her studies at Julliard she has won many prizes at different competitions. After graduation, she continued her study and research on piano playing with Raymond Hanson at Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, giving many recitals, playing with orchestras and chamber music. Later she has worked as a lecturer at the Piano Department of University of Connecticut at Storrs.

As a member of Japan Trio with a cellist T. Tsutsumi and a violin soloist K.Suzumi. she made tour engagements in USA, Japan and Europe. In 1975 she returned to Japan and resumed her career as performer and teacher. She gave recitals, playing with orchestras, such as NHK Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Philharmony, Gunma Symphony and Shin-Nippon Philharmony under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. She has served as a Judge for many important International Piano Competitions. Currently, she is a Lecturer at Toho School of Music and is serving as one of the Board of Directors of Piano Teachers National Association of Japan, where she also conducts master classes and serves as a Judge for PTNA Annual Piano Competition.