Since making her debut as soloist under the baton of Lord Yehudi Menuhin at the age of 16, Yu Horiuchi has enchanted audiences around the world with her elegant pianism, passionate temperament, and incisive musicianship in many of the world’s top venues, such as the Royal Festival Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, Tokyo Opera City, Lincoln Center and Elbphilharmonie.

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On top of being a soloist and passionate chamber musician, Yu has created her highly acclaimed “Piano Tasting” project, where she compares two pianos on stage, allowing audiences to discover their preference for themselves, while informing them about countless fascinating dimensions of piano sound. 

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Her versatility is also shown in her range of other projects, such as the new show “Mambo Jambo” with the renowned duo, Igudesman & Joo and “Manny Spring Sonatas”, a show with the aforementioned duo and pianist Emanuel Ax. She has premiered works- especially written for her- by several composers, including Wolfgang Muthspiel, and the 4-hand piano concerto by Tristan Schulze.

 

One of Yu’s specialties is that, on top of being a classical pianist, she also sings classical Lieder while accompanying herself. She approaches the repertoire with a deep intellect while singing in a non-classical, “natural” style, thereby producing a highly unique combination.

 

Born in Japan, Yu moved to Germany at the age of 2, was educated in Europe (the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal College of Music) and in the USA (The Juilliard School) and currently resides in Vienna, Austria.

 

Yu is one of the only artists to have recorded on the legendary “Rubinstein” Steinway for her solo CD, “Meeting Rubinstein”.