Atsuko Seta
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
classical pianist
. She is particularly successful in Poland
, especially in the southwest of the country, regularly performing with the Sudecka Philharmonic Orchestra
in Walbrzych
and in her native Japan and in Bulgaria
.
. In 1978, she completed a Postgraduate Course, starting her career as a pianist, mentored by Argentine pianist Eduardo Delgado
. She also studied at the International Academy Friedrich Wilhelm Schnurre in Sion, Switzerland
in 1991 and has performed concertos in the country.
In 1996, Seta won the Top prize of the Masterplayers International Music Competition in Italy and completed a master course in Flaine International Music Academy in France, also studying at the Kyoto France Music Academy. Since 1997, she has performed in Europe
every year, especially piano concerto
s, with the Sudecka Philharmonic in Poland
.
In 2003, Atsuko Seta received the Music Critic Club Prize, which is given to the most active musician in West Japan. In 2004, she received the IBLA Grand Prize
Ginastera Special Award in Italy. In 2003 and 2004, she began performing piano concertos with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra
, the first Japanese pianist to do so. On December 10, 2004 she performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 with the orchestra. Just days later she gave recitals in Italy, Ecce Homo Church in Ragusa
(December 14), Santa Teresa Church in Scicli
(December 15) and at the Mercedari Palace
in Modica
(December 18).
In 2004 and 2005, Seta mostly performed at concerts for charity or peace in her native Japan, including a memorial concert in Osaka on January 16, 2005, marking 10 years since the Great Hanshin earthquake
. In April 2005 she visited the United States
, performing in Los Angeles
and New York City
, giving Ginastera
recitals at the Yamaha Center on April 10 and at Carnegie Hall
and New York University
on April 11 during which she performed Ginastera Sonata No.1 amongst others. In May 2005, Seta also performed with the Sudecka Philharmonic, during which she recited Mendelssohn
- Trio I op. 39, Brahms - Trio III op. 87 and Ravel Piano Concerto G-Dur.
On September 29, 2006, Seta performed Ginastera's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Sudecka Philharmonic in Walbrzych. Then, in November 2006, she gave a series of concerts with Italian accordion
ist Gino Carbonaro in Osaka
and Kobe
. At Christmas 2006, Seta gave special Christmas concert solo recitals, entitled "All Liszt
Program" at the Sogakudo Hall in Tokyo and at the Takarazuka Vega Hall
in Hyogo. On July 27, 2007 she performed Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement and on September 28, 2007 she performed his Für Elise
. Between October 26 and October 30, 2007 she performed at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw
, Poland
as part of the Japanese week.
On January 19, 2008. Seta performed in a memorial concert for Princess Galyani in Chiang Mai
. After solo recitals in late June at the Sun Heart Music Hall
and Nagahama Hall
in Yokohama
, Constanze House in Gifu
and a Salon Concert at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo, she went to Bulgaria in November, 2008. There she performed a Khachaturian Piano Concerto with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra on November 20, completed a Master Course at the Bulgaria National Music Academy the following day and reperformed the Khachaturian Piano Concerto on November 25 with the Stara Zagora Opera Philharmonic Orchestra in Stara Zagora
Opera Hall. She gave a more private recital on November 27, 2008 at the Bulgaria Japanese Ambassador's residence.
On February 21, 2009, Seta performed a Piano Trio in Poland with Danuta Organisciuk and Wlodek Zylin, reciting Brahms C-Dur. A day later, she gave a solo recital in the town of Kudowa-Zdrój
. Between May 22 and 24, 2009, she performed at the Garibaldi Theatre in Ragusa
, Italy
. On June 3, she performed with the Veliko Tarnovo Philharmonic Orchestra in Veliko Tarnovo
, Bulgaria
. On November 21, 2009, Seta performed with the Chiang Mai Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2010, she has mostly performed in her native Japan, in Kyoto
, Osaka
and Tokyo
. On May 21, 2010 she is scheduled to play Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23
with the Sudecka Philharmonic in Walbrzych
, Poland.
and also Argentine composer Ginastera
and Brahms. She is also well noted for her piano concertos performed with orchestras, particularly by composers such as Khachaturian, Ginastera and Rachmaninov, and has also performed concertos by Grieg and Tchaikovsky. Seta resides in Thailand
and in February 2010 performed recitals of Chopin at Chopin's Anniversary concert. Seta also plays Japanese music and has performed the shamisen
style music which originated from northern Japan during the aftermath of World War II
. She has arranged many pieces in this style for piano. As a player she is fluid and noted in particular for her excellent control of dynamics, which enables her to perform this style effectively using sharp staccato, emulating the percussive sound of bachi
against the strings of the shamisen in this musical style.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
classical pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. She is particularly successful in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, especially in the southwest of the country, regularly performing with the Sudecka Philharmonic Orchestra
Sudecka Philharmonic Orchestra
The Sudecka Philharmonic is an orchestra based in Wałbrzych, in southwestern Poland.-External links:*...
in Walbrzych
Walbrzych
Wałbrzych is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland, with 120,197 inhabitants . From 1975–1998 it was the capital of Wałbrzych Voivodeship; it is now the seat of Wałbrzych County. Wałbrzych is by far the largest city in Poland that does not itself form a separate...
and in her native Japan and in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
Life
In 1977 she graduated from the Department of Music, Piano Course, Osaka Kyoiku UniversityOsaka Kyoiku University
is a national university with headquarters in the city of Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, Japan and a branch campus in Tennōji-ku in the prefectural capital city of Osaka. It was established in 1949 by the merger of two predecessor institutions. Its short name is Daikyōdai. The university specializes...
. In 1978, she completed a Postgraduate Course, starting her career as a pianist, mentored by Argentine pianist Eduardo Delgado
Eduardo Delgado
Eduardo Delgado is an Argentine classical pianist and teacher, currently living in California. Born in Rosario, Argentina, he is a recipient of the Vladimir Horowitz Award and has received grants from the Mozarteum Argentino, Martha Baird Rockefeller, and the Concert Artists Guild. In 1999, he was...
. She also studied at the International Academy Friedrich Wilhelm Schnurre in Sion, Switzerland
Sion, Switzerland
Sion is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais. it had a population of .Landmarks include the Basilique de Valère and Château de Tourbillon. Sion has an airfield for civilian and military use, which, because of its location in a valley, causes a reasonable amount of noise pollution. FC Sion...
in 1991 and has performed concertos in the country.
In 1996, Seta won the Top prize of the Masterplayers International Music Competition in Italy and completed a master course in Flaine International Music Academy in France, also studying at the Kyoto France Music Academy. Since 1997, she has performed in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
every year, especially piano concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
s, with the Sudecka Philharmonic in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
In 2003, Atsuko Seta received the Music Critic Club Prize, which is given to the most active musician in West Japan. In 2004, she received the IBLA Grand Prize
IBLA International Competition
IBLA International Competition is a Sicilian music competition.-Praise:The IBLA Awards have been officially commended by New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, New York State Governor George E. Pataki, United States Senator Alfonse M...
Ginastera Special Award in Italy. In 2003 and 2004, she began performing piano concertos with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra
Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra
L’Orchestre symphonique national du Liban or The Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra was founded in late 1999 in Beirut under the guidance of Dr. Walid Gholmieh and the management of Le Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musique or The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music...
, the first Japanese pianist to do so. On December 10, 2004 she performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 with the orchestra. Just days later she gave recitals in Italy, Ecce Homo Church in Ragusa
Ragusa, Italy
Ragusa is a city and comune in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with around 75,000 inhabitants. It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valleys, Cava San Leonardo and Cava Santa Domenica...
(December 14), Santa Teresa Church in Scicli
Scicli
*...
(December 15) and at the Mercedari Palace
Mercedari Palace
Mercedari Palace or the Palazzo Mercedari is a palace and civic and ethnographical museum in Modica, Italy. It was built in the 18th century as a Convent for the Fathers of Meredari, attached to the S. Maria delle Grazie sanctuary. Today, the palace contains the library and museum...
in Modica
Modica
-External links:*...
(December 18).
In 2004 and 2005, Seta mostly performed at concerts for charity or peace in her native Japan, including a memorial concert in Osaka on January 16, 2005, marking 10 years since the Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...
. In April 2005 she visited the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, performing in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, giving Ginastera
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered one of the most important Latin American classical composers.- Biography :...
recitals at the Yamaha Center on April 10 and at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
on April 11 during which she performed Ginastera Sonata No.1 amongst others. In May 2005, Seta also performed with the Sudecka Philharmonic, during which she recited Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
- Trio I op. 39, Brahms - Trio III op. 87 and Ravel Piano Concerto G-Dur.
On September 29, 2006, Seta performed Ginastera's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Sudecka Philharmonic in Walbrzych. Then, in November 2006, she gave a series of concerts with Italian accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist Gino Carbonaro in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
. At Christmas 2006, Seta gave special Christmas concert solo recitals, entitled "All Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
Program" at the Sogakudo Hall in Tokyo and at the Takarazuka Vega Hall
Takarazuka Vega Hall
Takarazuka Vega Hall is a concert hall in Hyogo, Japan. It has hosted concerts by some of Japan's most successful musicians. In December 2006, pianist Atsuko Seta gave a recital in the hall....
in Hyogo. On July 27, 2007 she performed Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement and on September 28, 2007 she performed his Für Elise
Für Elise
Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise" , is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular compositions. It is usually classified as a bagatelle, but it is also sometimes referred to as an Albumblatt.- History :The score was not published until 1867, 40 years after...
. Between October 26 and October 30, 2007 she performed at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
as part of the Japanese week.
On January 19, 2008. Seta performed in a memorial concert for Princess Galyani in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
. After solo recitals in late June at the Sun Heart Music Hall
Sun Heart Music Hall
Sun Heart Music Hall is a concert hall in Yokohama, Japan. It has hosted concerts by some of Japan's most successful musicians. In 2008, pianist Atsuko Seta gave a recital in the hall.- External links :...
and Nagahama Hall
Nagahama Hall
Nagahama Hall is a concert hall, located in the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Park in Yokohama, Japan. Built in 1952, it has hosted concerts by some of Japan's most successful musicians. In 2008, pianist Atsuko Seta gave a recital in the hall.-External links:*...
in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Constanze House in Gifu
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
and a Salon Concert at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo, she went to Bulgaria in November, 2008. There she performed a Khachaturian Piano Concerto with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra on November 20, completed a Master Course at the Bulgaria National Music Academy the following day and reperformed the Khachaturian Piano Concerto on November 25 with the Stara Zagora Opera Philharmonic Orchestra in Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
Opera Hall. She gave a more private recital on November 27, 2008 at the Bulgaria Japanese Ambassador's residence.
On February 21, 2009, Seta performed a Piano Trio in Poland with Danuta Organisciuk and Wlodek Zylin, reciting Brahms C-Dur. A day later, she gave a solo recital in the town of Kudowa-Zdrój
Kudowa-Zdrój
Kudowa-Zdrój is a town situated in the foothills of the Stołowe Mountains in the southwestern part of Poland, in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, about 400 m above sea level. It has a population of about 10,000...
. Between May 22 and 24, 2009, she performed at the Garibaldi Theatre in Ragusa
Ragusa, Italy
Ragusa is a city and comune in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with around 75,000 inhabitants. It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valleys, Cava San Leonardo and Cava Santa Domenica...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. On June 3, she performed with the Veliko Tarnovo Philharmonic Orchestra in Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. On November 21, 2009, Seta performed with the Chiang Mai Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2010, she has mostly performed in her native Japan, in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. On May 21, 2010 she is scheduled to play Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23
Piano Concerto No. 23 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major is a musical composition for piano and orchestra written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was finished, according to Mozart's own catalogue, on March 2, 1786, around the time of the premiere of his opera, The Marriage of Figaro...
with the Sudecka Philharmonic in Walbrzych
Walbrzych
Wałbrzych is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland, with 120,197 inhabitants . From 1975–1998 it was the capital of Wałbrzych Voivodeship; it is now the seat of Wałbrzych County. Wałbrzych is by far the largest city in Poland that does not itself form a separate...
, Poland.
Style
A virtuoso, Seta is noted for her recitals of Beethoven, Chopin and LisztLiszt
Liszt is a Hungarian surname. Notable persons with that surname include:* Franz Liszt , Hungarian composer and pianist* Adam Liszt , father of Franz Liszt* Anna Liszt , mother of Franz Liszt...
and also Argentine composer Ginastera
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered one of the most important Latin American classical composers.- Biography :...
and Brahms. She is also well noted for her piano concertos performed with orchestras, particularly by composers such as Khachaturian, Ginastera and Rachmaninov, and has also performed concertos by Grieg and Tchaikovsky. Seta resides in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and in February 2010 performed recitals of Chopin at Chopin's Anniversary concert. Seta also plays Japanese music and has performed the shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
style music which originated from northern Japan during the aftermath of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She has arranged many pieces in this style for piano. As a player she is fluid and noted in particular for her excellent control of dynamics, which enables her to perform this style effectively using sharp staccato, emulating the percussive sound of bachi
Bachi
Bachi is the name for the straight, wooden sticks used to play Japanese taiko drums, and also the plectrum for stringed instruments like the shamisen and biwa....
against the strings of the shamisen in this musical style.