For Immediate Release
June 28, 2019
Naxos Japan, Inc.
Email: info@naxos.jp

Japanese pianist Mao Fujita wins 2nd prize at Tchaikovsky Competition
Becomes first Japanese male pianist to win 2nd prize in piano category of the contest
20-year-old Mao Fujita won the 2nd prize of the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition on June 27,2019.
Born in Tokyo in 1998, Fujita displayed immense talent from an early age, winning prizes in various
prestigious international piano competitions. In 2017, at the age of just 18, he won the 27th Clara Haskil
International Piano Competition.
The live broadcast of the Tchaikovsky Competition on mediciTV also attracted much attention from classicalmusic fans across the world.
Fujita has released four albums thus far, all from the Naxos Japan label. His latest piano solo album 'Passage
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3' released in 2018, features Chopin's Third Sonata, the piece Fujita performed inthe semi-final round of the competition. Those four albums are available on various digital platforms like
Spotify, Apple Music, or HD Tracks.
Related Links:Naxos Japan – Mao Fujita, Pianist
http://naxos.jp/profile/maofujita
JAPAN ARTS – Mao Fujita Piano
https://www.japanarts.co.jp/artist/MaoFUJITA?lang=2
Mao Fujita Official Homepage
https://www.maofujita.com/
The XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition
https://tch16.com/en/
The XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition Livestream on medici.TV
https://tch16.medici.tv/en/piano/

Mao Fujita – Biography
Born in Tokyo in 1998, Mao Fujita began studying the piano at the age of three.

In 2019, He won the 2nd prize of the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition.

In 2017, while still a freshman at the Tokyo College of Music, Mao won the 27th Concours International De Piano
Clara Haskil in Switzerland, also winning three special awards—the “Audience Award,” the “Prix Modern Times,”
and the “Prix Coup de Coeur.” This achievement earned him international attention.

2017 / 2018 Season, he played Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with Mo. Oleg Caetani & Tokyo Metropolitan
Symphony Orchestra with much success. He also performed Klavier-Festival Ruhr, and invited to Verbier Festival
as Academy Musician.

2018 / 2019 Season, he played Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 with Mo.Kachun Wong & Yomiuri Nippon
Symphony Orchestra and Andre Jolivet Piano Concerto with Mo. Kazuyoshi Akiyama & Tokyo SymphonyOrchestra. He was invited to “New Generatioin Series” at Louis Vuitton Foundation.
During this season he will play Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20, Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 5 and Schumann Piano Concerto and so on.

Mao has won numerous awards inside and outside Japan. In 2010, he received 1st Prize in the Junior Section of“The World Classic” (Taiwan) and 1st Prize in the elementary school division of the national competition of theStudent Music Concours of Japan. He also won 1st Prize at the International Rosario Marciano Piano Competitionin Austria in 2013, 1st Prize at the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians in 2015, 1stPrize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition, and 3rd Prize at the Gina Bachauer
International Young Artists Piano Competition in the United States in 2016.

Mao Fujita – Discography“passage - Chopin: Piano Sonata No.3”

Naxos Japan [NYCC-27306] Released in 2018 (at the age of 19)
http://naxos.jp/news/maofujita_3rd Product Information
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk7VR3x9OAk Promotion Video on YouTube“Wagner/Liszt: Tannhauser Overture”
Naxos Japan [NYCC-27296] Released in 2015 (at the age of 16)
http://naxos.jp/special/nycc-27296“Rachmaninov: Six Moments Musicaux, Miyoshi: Piano Sonata”
Naxos Japan [NYCC-10001] Released in 2013 (at the age of 14)
http://naxos.jp/special/nycc-10001“Paderewski: Piano Master Pieces”（Yukio Yokoyama, Yukine Kuroki, Mao Fujita）
Naxos Japan [NYCC-27307] Released in 2018 (at the age of 20)
http://naxos.jp/special/paderewski

Artist page on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1A3xDpBtfybcnBimuYOnRq?si=hqiUsBb1RZGvzAD-ipZ1rQ

Mao Fujita

The 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition on June 27

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