Ahead of the 2024 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition this autumn, Pianist Magazine has written an article about the Festival and its Chair, Noriko Ogawa.
Speaking of the instruments made available to competitors – a choice between Yamaha, Kawai and Steinway, Ogawa is quoted as saying “The city of Hamamatsu is the home of every Japanese piano, both Yamaha and Kawai are based here. The very first piano in Japan was built by Mr Yamaha in 1900. He had been asked to repair a broken organ from America, and he brought it from Hamamatsu to Tokyo on foot! The rest is history. Mr Kawai was Mr Yamaha’s younger colleague, and he decided to branch off. Hamamatsu wants to honour these two craftsmen, alongside Steinway: in fact the city of Hamamatsu bought a new Steinway D for this year’s competition. There’s a bit of competition between the instruments themselves!”
The 2024 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition takes place from 8-25 November.