Chihiro Yamanaka, Pianist

Chihiro won numerous awards at the Berklee College of Music in the US, where she also gained experience playing with many famous musicians.

In October 2001, her debut album Living Without Friday was released from the renowned jazz piano label Atelier Sawano. It turned out to be quite an exceptional debut, with the CD recording top sales on the jazz charts of major CD retailers in Japan immediately following its release.

Around the same time, Chihiro was continuing her studies in the US through the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs. In December 2002, she released her second CD,When October Goes, with top young New York musicians in the rhythm section. The disk won listeners over, debuting at #1 on the jazz chart in Japan.

Chihiro then began performing more regularly in Japan. After scenes from her New York Trio Tour of early 2003 were aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) television documentary, Jyounetsu Tairiku, her international activities became even more widely known.

August 2003 saw the release of Leaning Forward, a DVD of the full Osaka performance from that same tour. The fine quality of both the music and video offered a new artistic direction for jazz video programs, and it debuted in the top ten of Japan’s DVD chart for all genres, which includes pop DVDs.

Currently, Chihiro continues to perform mainly in New York, but also all over the world. After her Japan tour at the end of 2003 drew packed houses all over the country, she performed at Carnegie Hall on NBC radio in January 2004. In May, she released Madrigal, her first new CD in a year and a half, and toured seven venues in Japan on her “Tour 2004: Madrigal.” She returned to Japan again in August and November to perform around the country for her New York Trio Tour 2004.

In January 2005, Chihiro signed with Universal Classics and Jazz.