Keyboard player
Piano · Fortepiano · Harpsichord · ClavichordTAKAHIKO SAKAMAKI
Born in Yokohama, Japan, and based in Germany, Takahiko Sakamaki is a keyboard player equally at home on the modern piano, clavichord, harpsichord and fortepiano. He received his first piano lessons from his aunt at the age of five and studied at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. He then moved to Germany, where he completed two Master’s degrees at the University of Music and Dance Cologne – Piano Solo with Prof. Andreas Frölich and Fortepiano with Prof. Gerald Hambitzer – both with the highest grade, awarded unanimously.
Since 2024 he has been house pianist at the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, giving more than 20 museum and chamber concerts a year on historical fortepianos from its collection. He has been invited to festivals and concert series in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, and performs regularly in Japan.
As fortepianist of Trio Alterna he won 2nd prize and the Beethoven-Haus Prize for the best Beethoven interpretation at the international competition “Beethoven in his Time” (2021). The trio’s debut album of Beethoven piano trios, recorded on an 1824 Conrad Graf fortepiano in cooperation with the Beethoven-Haus Bonn and WDR, was released by GENUIN in 2023. He is an honorary scholar of the Pianomuseum Haus Eller, which provides him with clavichord, fortepiano and harpsichord for concerts and research.
He teaches at the Institute of Early Music of the University of Music and Dance Cologne and at the Jugendmusikschule Heinsberg (a public music school and member of the Association of German Music Schools, VdM), where all 21 of his students entered in the 2026 regional round of “Jugend musiziert” (Germany’s national youth music competition) received awards, ten of them first prizes. In Japan he serves as a juror and Step adviser for PTNA (All Japan Piano Teachers Association) and gives seminars and master classes throughout the country.
Concerts
Selected concerts by year. For upcoming dates, please see the Activity page.
2026
25 July – Harpsichord recital: J. S. Bach, Inventions and Sinfonias, Studio Poiotita, Tokyo
July – Jurors’ concert, Elise Music Festival, Hiroshima
28 June – “Hammerflügel-Sommerfest 2026”, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Mozart, Beethoven “Pathétique”, Mendelssohn
April – “Chopin on the fortepiano”, Takagi Klavier Shoto Salon, Tokyo (Pleyel, 1843), lecture-concert with Chopin scholar Hiroko Kosaka
7 March – Concert with commentary, VERS – Literaturcafé, Aachen
8 February – Trio Alterna: “Brahms and Dvořák”, FORUM Alte Musik Köln, Overstolzensaal, Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK), Cologne – piano trios by Dvořák and Brahms on an Érard
6 February – Third Clavichord-Tage, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – J. S. Bach: all 15 Inventions and 15 Sinfonias
4 January – “Oshaberi Concert”: 19th-century Romanticism, Sakura Plaza, Yokohama
2025
December – Christmas dinner concert, Itoshima (Fukuoka)
23 November – House concert, Stolberg
9 November – Second Clavichord-Tage, “Erinnerung und Hoffnung”, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Froberger, Louis Couperin, Bach French Suite No. 5 and more
11 October, 25 October, 8 November – Museum concerts, Beethoven-Haus Bonn (historical fortepianos)
29 August – Beethovenfest Kerpen: “Beethoven on the clavichord” – incl. “Eroica” Variations op. 35
9 August – “Takahiko Sakamaki plays Johann Kramer”, Takagi Klavier Shoto Salon, Tokyo
2 August – “Oshaberi Concert”, Sakura Plaza, Yokohama, incl. all 15 Bach Inventions with commentary
28 June – “Hammerflügel-Sommerfest 2025”, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – fortepiano duo with Gerald Hambitzer (J. C. Bach, C. P. E. Bach, Soler, Mozart, W. F. Bach)
5 April – Museum concert, Beethoven-Haus Bonn
Artist in Residence, Schloss Weißenbrunn (Trio Alterna) – Hensel, Mendelssohn, Bach, Beethoven
Concerts in Fukuoka (on a copy of a Stein fortepiano) and Hiroshima
2024
1, 8, 15, 22 December – Advent concerts, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – fortepiano after Stein (Mendelssohn, Clementi, Krufft, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and more)
December – Concert with commentary, VERS – Literaturcafé, Aachen
29 September – Clavichord-Tage 2024, “A Romantic journey in the five-octave world of the clavichord”, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim
8 June, 14 July, 26 July, 12 September, 22 September – Museum and chamber concerts, Beethoven-Haus Bonn
24 March – “Oshaberi Concert”, Sakura Plaza, Yokohama
March – Recital on a Pleyel piano, Takagi Klavier Shoto Salon, Tokyo
March – “Schumann-Plus III”, Robert-Schumann-Haus Zwickau – Trio Alterna
18 February – Recital, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Broadwood 1865 (Chopin, Clara Schumann, Beethoven op. 110)
2023
September – CD release concert of Trio Alterna, Beethoven-Haus Bonn (Conrad Graf, 1824)
September – Salon des Pianos, Basel – Trio Alterna
30 July – House concert, Stolberg
25 June – Clavichord recital, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Bach, C. P. E. Bach, W. F. Bach, Mendelssohn
18 June – “Chopin in focus”, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Theodor Stöcker grand piano, 1868
24 February – Piano Trio Fest Bern – Trio Alterna, world premiere of “Portraits” by Eleni Ralli
2022
5 November – 2nd Schlosskonzert, Schloss Hückeswagen
23 October – Clavichord scholarship concert, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Bach, Krufft, Reicha, W. F. Bach, Mendelssohn and more
20 September – Master’s final performance (fortepiano), University of Music and Dance Cologne
4 September – “Virginal Festival 2022”, concert 4, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim (harpsichord)
23 August – Clavichord concert, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim
20 August – Final concert (fortepiano), Cologne
17 April – “Oshaberi Concert”, Sakura Plaza, Yokohama
ZAMUS – Cologne Festival of Early Music · “Klaviernacht”, Cologne
2021
28 November, 5, 12, 19 December – Advent concerts, Pianomuseum Haus Eller, Bergheim – Haydn, Clementi, Mozart / the Bach sons / Beethoven and Schubert / Beethoven and Mendelssohn (fortepianos by Rancke, Riga 1825, and after Könnicke)
December – Concert series “Tonspuren”, Düren – Trio Alterna
October – Concert, Stolberg
20 August – “Oshaberi Concert”, Sakura Plaza Hall, Yokohama – with guest Gohei Nishikawa
Lunchtime concert, Munetsugu Hall, Nagoya
2019
December – Schloss Eulenbroich, Rösrath
August – “Oshaberi Concert”, first co-production with Sakura Plaza, Yokohama (audience of over 100)
“Pianodrom” at the Beethovenfest Bonn
2017 – 2019
Piano Festival Ruhr, Bochum
Orpheo concert series, Kerkrade (NL)
Cagliari and Aversa (I), Malonne (B)
2013 –
29 April 2013 – first “Oshaberi Concert”, Himawari-no-Sato, Yokohama; more than 20 editions since
Prizes and scholarships
2025
Artist in Residence, Music Academy Schloss Weißenbrunn (with Trio Alterna)
2021
2nd prize and Beethoven-Haus Prize for the best Beethoven interpretation – International Chamber Music Competition for Historical Instruments “Beethoven in his Time”, Siegburg (Trio Alterna)
3rd prize – Karlrobert Kreiten Piano Competition (Germany)
Clavichord scholarship of the Pianomuseum Haus Eller (2021–2022); honorary scholar since 2023
2019
1st prize – 12th Medenus Piano Festival, Schloss Eulenbroich (Germany)
Finalist – 12th Concours International “Piano à Mayenne” (France)
2018
3rd prize (ex aequo), senior category – International Piano Competition “Ciudad de Leganés” (Spain)
2017
2nd prize – III International Music Competition “Triomphe de l’Art”, piano solo, Brussels (Belgium)
3rd prize – 36th International Piano Competition “Delia Steinberg”, Madrid (Spain)
Diploma – 3rd Young Piano Stars International Piano Competition (Germany)
2016
3rd prize, category E – XVI Concorso Pianistico Internazionale “Vietri sul Mare – Costa Amalfitana” (Italy)
Finalist – X International Piano Competition of Campillos (Spain)
2015
1st prize, adult category – 1st Tokyo International Piano Competition (TIAA) (Japan)
Ensemble
Trio Alterna
Anna Dmitrieva, baroque violin
Amarilis Dueñas Castán, baroque cello
Takahiko Sakamaki, fortepiano
The Trio Alterna showed great expressiveness in a variety of very different pieces. They got better and better from round to round and surprised the listener with continually different, but always marvelous highlights. Their interpretation of the second movement of Beethoven’s “Ghost” Trio is certainly some of the most wonderful music that has been heard in the entire competition.
(Siegburg Music Workshop)
The Cologne-based Trio Alterna received the impetus for its founding at the international competition “Beethoven in his Time”, where it won second prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of a work by Beethoven. Its 2023 debut album on GENUIN – Beethoven’s Piano Trios op. 11 and op. 70 nos. 1 and 2 – was praised by Fono Forum, Classica, Pizzicato and klassik.com, among others. The trio has performed at the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, the Robert-Schumann-Haus Zwickau, the Salon des Pianos in Basel and the Piano Trio Fest Bern, and in 2025 was Artist in Residence at Schloss Weißenbrunn with a programme centred on Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn. Its repertoire ranges from early classical works to world premieres of contemporary music.
Album and performance videos: see Discography & Media.
Teaching
2022 –
Lecturer at the Institute of Early Music, University of Music and Dance Cologne – répétiteur on fortepiano and harpsichord, harpsichord as minor subject
2024 – 2025
Basso continuo I and II courses, University of Music and Dance Cologne
2021 –
Teacher of piano and early music, Jugendmusikschule Heinsberg
Students awarded at “Jugend musiziert” every year since 2023; in 2026 all 21 entrants received awards, ten of them first prizes
2020 – 2021
Piano teacher, Musikschule Brand, Aachen
2019 – 2023
Piano teacher, MuR 128, Cologne
2014 – 2016
Solfège teacher, Toho Gakuen music school for children (Yokohama/Kamakura)
Music teacher, “Tsubasa” kindergarten, Kanagawa
Seminars and master classes
2026
Seminars and master classes on the Baroque set pieces of the PTNA Piano Competition (Fukuoka, Sapporo, Yokohama, Tokyo, Toyota, Hiroshima, Hokkaido and others)
2025
Seminar series “J. S. Bach: Inventions – analysis and performance practice” (Hiroshima, Sapporo, Yokohama)
Seminar on the Bastien piano method (Tokyo)
2016 – 2022
Guest teacher of master classes for young pianists in Fukuoka, Oita and Kagoshima (Japan)
Jury activities
2026
PTNA Piano Competition – regional final West Japan (categories E/F)
PTNA Piano Competition – video preliminary round (Kanto region)
PTNA Piano Step Sagamihara – adviser
Elise Music Festival – preliminary round (Hiroshima)
14th Kyushu-Shimbun Piano Competition – regional preliminary round (Saga)
11th Sonata Competition (Tokyo)
2025
PTNA Piano Step Suginami (Tokyo) – adviser
Elise Music Festival – preliminary rounds (Hiroshima, Nagoya)
Japan Bach Competition (video jury)
2021
11th Elise Music Festival – preliminary rounds (Nagoya, Tokyo)
Kyushu International Piano Competition with Bechstein, Fukuoka
9th Kyushu-Shimbun Piano Competition (Fukuoka)
2020
Japan Beethoven Piano Competition 2020
2019
7th Kyushu-Shimbun Piano Competition (Fukuoka)
Education
2019 – 2022
Master of Music – Historical Keyboard Instruments (Fortepiano), University of Music and Dance Cologne
Prof. Gerald Hambitzer · final grade 1.0 (unanimous, highest score of the committee) · thesis: “Tuning methods for the fortepiano”
2017 – 2020
Master of Music – Piano Solo, University of Music and Dance Cologne
Prof. Andreas Frölich · final grade 1.0 (unanimous, highest score of the committee)
2014 – 2016
Postgraduate course – Piano Solo, Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo
2010 – 2014
Bachelor of Music – Piano Solo, Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo
Final grade A (very good) · harpsichord as minor subject, basso continuo · numerous world premieres in collaboration with composers
2007 – 2010
Toho Girls’ High School, Music Department (co-educational), Tokyo
Studied with
Historical keyboard instruments
Gerald Hambitzer, Andreas Staier, Michael Borgstede, Flóra Fábri, Chiyoko Arita
Piano
Andreas Frölich, Björn Lehmann, Masataka Takada, Yoshimi Tamaki, Toru Kimura, Kumiko Miyazaki, Eiko Moriya
Master class
2022 – International Beethoven Master Class, Beethoven-Haus Bonn: active participant in the class of Andreas Staier