Taka Kigawa official site
 
Taka Kigawa’s solo recitals at (Le) Poisson Rouge over the last few years have all been resounding successes, receiving enormous critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. His recital there in August 2010 was chosen as one of the best concerts of the year by The New York Times, and his August 2011 recital was chosen by Musical America as one of the most notable concerts in the first half of the 2011-2012 season.
 
Mr. Kigawa has been praised by The New York Times as “Phenomenon, there’s no denying that he is something special. A pianist with a thoroughly contemporary sensibility,” and his program for this recital showcases his specialty: significant modern and contemporary compositions that succeed in challenging and expanding the piano’s boundaries. Hailed by The New Yorker as “a pianist admired for his command of the most formidable contemporary scores,” Kigawa will perform Images, Books I and II by Claude Debussy, who opened the door to modern/contemporary music in the early twentieth century; Marco Stroppa’s Traiettoria… deviate for piano and live electronics, one of the most demanding late 20th century compositions for pianist and computer engineer (the live electronics will be performed by Rafael Valle); and Tristan Murail’s Territoires de l’oubli, created with the composer’s spectral music concept, and a masterpiece in the contemporary solo piano repertoire.
 
Taka Kigawa has steadily built his reputation as one of today’s most compelling young artists, renowned as much for his superb musicianship as for his courageous programming. Since winning First Prize in the 1990 Japan Music Foundation Competition in Tokyo, and the 1998 Diploma Prize at Concurs Internacional Maria Canals De Barcelona in Spain, he has performed extensively both as a recitalist and soloist with orchestra in many prestigious venues all over the world, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kosciuszko Foundation, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Cité de la Musique and Salle Gaveau in Paris, and Plau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona. He has collaborated closely with such renowned musicians as Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung and Jonathan Nott, to name a few. Also he premiered the last solo piano piece of the late Yusef Lateef in New York City in 2013. His performances and recordings have been broadcast over many television and radio networks, including WQXR-FM in New York. Mr. Kigawa received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Shinsyu University in Japan, and continued his studies in New York at The Juilliard School, where he holds a Master of Music degree.