Born in Japan, Akari Mizumoto has earned her Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School in 2017. Awarded an artistic scholarship, she is currently pursuing a Performer’s Diploma under the guidance of Maestro Joaquín Achúcarro at Southern Methodist University in Texas where she earned her Master of Music degree in 2019. Actively participating in national and international competitions, she has won numerous prizes including the first prize at the Asia Piano Competition in Malaysia, the first prize at Sakai International Piano Competition in Japan, Debussy prize at the Metropolitan International Competition in New York, the third prize at the International Paderewski Piano Competition in Farmington, and Special Commendation at the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany. Akari has also participated in several music festivals and academies including Hamamatsu Music Academy and Ishikawa Music Academy in Japan, where she has received IMA music award.
Akari has given her solo performances in Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, England, Switzerland, Germany, Brazil and United States. Her most recent performances include participation in the concert series held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, New York. She also has given performances of her own compositions in Japan and United States. As a part of Yamaha Junior Original Concert series, she performed in renowned concert halls including Tokyo Bunkamura Orchard Hall (Tokyo) and Osaka Symphony Hall. Her compositions are recorded in the CD “Master Pieces Collection”, as well as the scores are published by Yamaha Music Foundation. Apart from the career as a recitalist, Akari also has appeared as a soloist with numbers of orchestras including Ribeirao Preto Symphony Orchestra (Brazil), New Philharmonic Osaka, and Osaka Chamber Orchestra.
Akari was a YAMAHA Music Foundation Scholarship recipient from 2009 to 2011. After studying privately with Mr. Claudio Soares and Ms. Mari Takeda in Japan, she studied with Mr. Kang Choong Mo and Mr. Julian Martin at The Juilliard School. She also has taken private lessons from renowned pianists including Jaques Rouvier, Vera Gornostaeva, Maria João Pires and Alessio Bax.
