Tomomi Sato, piano

Japanese pianist Tomomi Sato enjoys a diverse career as a performing artist and educator. A prizewinner of the 2013 Seattle International Piano Competition, she has taken stages throughout the United States, Mexico, South America, Europe and Asia as a solo and collaborative artist. Her 2023-2024 season highlights a concerto appearance with the Classical Music Institute Orchestra, recitals in the Los Angeles area as a member of award-winning Duo Syncopa, a recital tour in Japan with violinist Francisco Fullana, among many others, Critically acclaimed for her wide range of repertoire knowledge and genre-defying versatility on the keyboard, Tomomi’s festival credits include Accademia Dino Ciani (Italy), Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood Music Center, and SongStudio with Renee Fleming at Carnegie Hall. Her current engagements range from traditional concerts to opera and musical theatre productions. Additionally, she frequently tours as a rotating member of TAKE3, a classical crossover piano trio.

Tomomi’s pedagogical specialty lies in the art of ensemble playing and coaching and has recently been appointed Teaching Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano position at Oklahoma State University, where she will begin teaching in Fall 2024. Having honed her coaching skills as a staff pianist at Juilliard, she has gained many teachers’ trust to serve as a coach for aspiring young instrumentalists and singers. In addition to serving as a collaborative piano faculty at festivals such as Lyra Music Festival, she has given masterclasses at George Mason University alongside violinist/violist Brian Hong, and she has been praised for her articulate explanation of ensemble playing techniques as a guest teaching artist for undergraduate accompanying courses at USC.

Tomomi completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts at USC Thornton School of Music under the tutelage of Kevin Fitz-Gerald, where she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She holds additional graduate degrees from USC and the Juilliard School; her past mentors include Bernadene Blaha, Jonathan Feldman, Margo Garrett, and Dr. Mark Sullivan. Beyond her musical pursuits, Tomomi finds joy in playing unsuccessful rounds of left-handed golf and exploring diverse culinary scenes in different places that her performing career takes her. She is currently based in Philadelphia, and is excited to add Stillwater, OK as her second home.