"The Japanese pianist Shoko Kawasaki impressed with nobility and precision."
−Süddeutsche Zeitung−
"Shoko Kawasaki, a Pianist Who Captivates with Delicacy and Charisma"
−Ostfriesen Zeitung−
Born in Tokyo, she graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Ueno High School and went on to study at the Faculty of Music at Tokyo University of the Arts, where she completed her instrumental studies and received the Dōseikai Prize upon graduation. She completed her master’s program at the same university at the top of her class and was awarded the Kreutzer Prize. She subsequently earned her doctorate in Music in the university’s doctoral program with her research on György Ligeti’s complete Études pour piano.
During her doctoral studies, she was selected as an exchange student at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich and moved to Germany. In 2016, she completed both the Contemporary Music Program and the Meisterklasse for soloists.
She has received scholarships from numerous organizations both in Japan and abroad, including the Rohm Music Foundation, the Honjo International Scholarship Foundation, the Oscar und Vera Ritter Foundation, and the Deutschlandstipendium.
She won First Prize at the 5th Kazuko Yasukawa Memorial Competition (2006), First Prize at the Ennio Porrino International Competition (2011), and Second Prize at the Massarosa International Competition (2012), among other prizes at national and international competitions. She was also a finalist at the 76th Japan Music Competition in 2007. She received diplomas at the Concours de Genève – International Music Competition, the Grieg International Piano Competition, and the New York Dorothy Mackenzie Awards. In addition, she won five major competitions in Japan, including a composition competition.
She has also performed at events such as Winners & Masters (Gasteig, Munich), Klaviersoiree (Stadttheater, Passau), Kammerkonzerte (Mozart Halls, Hamburg), Embassy Concerts (Japanese Embassy, Berlin), the XXIX Festival de la Habana (Havana, Cuba), the Japan-Korea Friendship Festival 2005 (KBS Hall, Seoul), and the International Keyboard Festival (New York), Liszt Festival in Raiding, Austria—Franz Liszt’s birthplace— the Palermo Music Festival in Italy, the Tokyo Spring Festival, and the Biwako Spring Festival, and she has given orchestral performances and solo recitals in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Slovakia, Poland, the United States, Cuba, South Korea, and Japan.
She has appeared as a soloist with the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Yokohama Sinfonietta, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra Žilina, and the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, performing under conductors such as the late Kotaro Satō, Toshiaki Umeda, Kazuki Yamada, Vladimir Kiradzhiev, and Tetsurō Ban.
In 2016, a performance she gave in the presence of the leading American composer Steve Reich was broadcast by Bavarian Radio (ARD). In 2024, she took part in the Japanese premiere of Reich’s original full-version The Desert Music, conducted by Joe Hisaishi. She has also been featured on WDR (Germany), ORF (Austria), Rai Radio 3 (Italy), and NHK-FM (Japan).
Her recordings—including Kreutzer’s Erinnerung, VISIONS I – Dream, VISIONS II – Moments (Studio N.A.T), and Die Tastenkunst – 鍵盤芸術の極み (MClassics)—have been widely praised in the media. Her latest album, Die Tastenkunst – 鍵盤芸術の極み, received the highest recommendation from Record Geijutsu ONLINE.
In 2013, she became the first recipient of the Gratia Music Award, established by musicologist and producer Keiko Takii. This award recognizes young musicians who are active not only in performance but also in social and welfare-related artistic outreach. In recent years, she has engaged in outreach activities at schools across Germany and Japan, as well as performances in child welfare facilities and other social contexts.
She has studied under Rie Fukano, Sumiko Mikimoto, Michiko Ohno, Saori Ohno, Gabriel Tacchino, Susumu Aoyagi, and Michael Schäfer. She has also received guidance in masterclasses from many distinguished musicians, including Jacques Rouvier, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Andrea Bonatta, Remo Remoli, Mikhail Voskresensky, and Vladimir Tropp.
Since 2021, she has been the official pianist of the Eldering Ensemble in Germany and also serves as Promotion Manager for the Henle Library sheet music app by G. Henle Verlag.
She has taught at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich and teaches at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and she continues to build an international career as a pianist and educator based in both Japan and Germany.