Kei Saotomé
Kei Saotomé was born into a family of artists in Tokyo. At age of 9, her talent was recognized by Olivier Messiaen and his wife Yvonne Loriod, and her family moved to Paris on their recommendation. She received « premier prix » at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris under the tutelage of Michel Béroff and furthered her study in Switzerland and Russia. In 1996, Kei Saotomé moved to Florence, Italy, where she completed her training with Clive Britton, Piero Rattalino, Vincenzo Balzani, Bruno Canino and Pier Narciso Masi, Edwin Fisher’s favorite disciple. She has also been illuminated by great pianists such as Christine Paraschos, Igor Lazko, Vitaly Margulis, Gyorgy Sebok, and Lev Naumov.
Laureate of notable international competitions (Clara Schumann in Düsseldorf in 1994, Robert Schumann in Zwickau in 1996), Saotomé’s playing was remarked by both Martha Argerich and the celebrated German critique Joachim Kaiser. She has performed throughout European countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Russia and Armenia, as well as in U.A.E (Abu Dhabi) appearing in concert halls such as Salle Gaveau, Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, La Sala Verdi in Milan, Teatro Comunale in Florence, St. Petersburg Philharmonie Hall, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Yamaha Hall and Casals Hall in Tokyo. She has given recitals and chamber music concerts in Japan and the United States, and has performed with orchestras such as the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique Français, the Orchestra della città di Ravenna, the Orchestra Sanmmartini di Milano, the Orchestra da camera di Belluno, The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, the Tochigi Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonisches Orchester Plauen-Zwickau among others.
Kei Saotomé has been invited to be on the juries of prestigious national and international piano and chamber music competitions and to give piano masterclasses in France, Italy, USA and Japan. Her Chopin and Brahms can be heard on Italian CD label Phoenix Classics. In October 2017, she performed a gala concert, accompanied by the Armenian National Chamber Orchestra, for the benefit of the French Cancer Institute in Yerevan, Armenia in support of the development of cancer treatment in Armenia.
Kei Saotomé is currently Professor of piano at the Conservatoire de Viroflay – Versailles Grand Parc.