Akiko Ebi
Japan / France
Chairwoman of the Jury
Born in Osaka in Japan, Akiko Ebi began to learn playing the piano at 3 and half years old. First prize at the National Piano Competition in Japan, launched her international career as the winner of the 2nd Grand Prix in the Long -Thibaud Competition in Paris with 4 special prizes given by Arthur Rubinstein, Emile Sauer, Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She was also laureat at the Fryderyk Chopin International Competition in Warsaw. She studied with Aldo Ciccolini at Paris National Conservatoire, Vlado Perlemuter, Conrad Hansen, Luis Kentner, Colette Zerah, Susumu Nagai and Toyoaki Matsuura.
She has performed throughout the world in 37 countries as at the Berlin Philharmony Hall, Gewandhaus concert Hall, Suntory Hall, Teatro Colon, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Salle Pleyel, Salle Gaveau, Wigmore Hall etc. She performed with conductors such as Stanislaw Skrowazcewski, Frans Bruggen, Marek Janowsky, Vassily Sinaisky, Lawrence Foster, Yutaka Sado, Michiyoshi Inoue, Kenichire Kobayashi, Ryusuke Numajiri, Hideaki Muto, Theodor Gushulbauer, Pedro Ignacio Calderón, Rossen Milanov, Erich Bergel, Bernhard Klee, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Monika Wolinska, Stanislaw Strugala, Jean Fournet etc and many other Japanese conductors.
Her Duo Concert with Martha Argerich has been broadcasted many times in the world. Her musical partners are Martha Argerich, Ivry Gitlis, Augustin Dumay, Régis Pasquier, Yumino Toyoda, Alto Noras, Angela Hewitt, the Quintets as Moragues, Parisii Quartet, Via Nova Quartet etc. She appears regularly at festivals in La Roque d’Anthéron, Menton, Echternach, Verbier, Folle journée (Nantes, Lisbon, Tokyo), Nice, Warsaw, Lugano, Toledo, New York, Tokyo, Salt Lake City, Buenos Aires, Santiago in Chile etc.
Her discography includes Chopin, Ravel, Dynam-Victor Fumet (world first recording) and also works by Fauré, Franck, Grieg, Lekeu, Pierné, Webern in chamber music. She was awarded twice Grand Prix d’Or in Japan for her recordings of Hikari Oe. For her services to French music, Ebi was named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1993, and in 2002 she received Japan’s prestigious ExxonMobile Music Prize. In 2023 she received from polish government Gloria Artis medal.
She is often invited to give master classes in many countries as France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Finland, many cities in USA, Canada, Argentine, Chile and Japan. She is often invited as a jury member at the international competitions such as Chopin in Warsaw, Long -Thibaud, Clara Haskil, Gina Bachauer, Santander, Maria Canals, e-competition etc. She was also the president of jury at Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2012 and 2015. Now she is the president of Japan Chopin Society since 13 years ago. Also she is the Planning committee chair at Yokohama City International Piano Festival which was celebrating its’ 40 years last year 2022 playing with Martha Argerich.
Brazilian born Vera Astrachan studied with Arnaldo Estrella in Rio de Janeiro and graduated at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where she was awarded the “Gold Medal”. After graduation, Vera pursued further training with Hans Graf and Bruno Seidlhofer in Vienna and, sponsored by The British Council, with Ilona Kabos in London. Later, in Berkeley, she studied Theory of Composition with Joaquin Nin-Culmell.
Olga Kopylova was born in Uzbekistan and studied at the Uspensky School of Music, the College of Music at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
