Contestant

Mari Kawakami was born in 1994 in Japan, and started playing the piano when she was 5 years old. After graduating from high school at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts, he studied for a Master’s degree at the Universität der Künste Berlin with Prof. Björn Lehmann. Among his teachers are Professor Robert Benz, Nobuyoshi Kato, Masataka Takada, Sayaka Takada, Chisako Kato, Masako Tsuji, Koji Shimoda, and Takako Takahashi.

In 2007, he won 2nd prize at the 2nd ASEAN International Concerto Competition. In 2012, he won the stimulus prize at the 12th Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists. In 2013, he won 1st prize at Rovere d’Oro International Competition. In 2018, 3rd prize at the Livorno Piano Competition In 2019, he won 3rd prize at the Artur Schnabel Competition. In 2021, he was a semi-finalist in Prague Spring’s competition

From 2009 to 2012 he studied at the Toho School of Music in Japan. From 2012 to 2017 he graduated in Music from the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim Since 2017 he has been doing a Master’s Degree in Music at the Universität der Arts Berlin

He has received master classes from Sergio Perticarolli at the Mozarteum International Sommerakademy, Alexander Jenner in Vienna, Björn Lehmann at Musicalp Tignes, Andrea Bonatta and Jacques Rouvier in Cologne, Dmitri Bashkirov at the Buchenau Festival, at the UDk in Berlin by Helmut Lachenmann, Dmitri Alexeev at the Mozarteum International Sommerakademy, Eldar Nebolsin in Potsdam