Lisa Nakamichi
Lisa Nakamichi has appeared in numerous recitals and concerts in major
cities of the U.S., Canada and Japan. Upon her successful solo debut
recital in Tokyo in 1995, sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Culture,
Ms. Nakamichi appeared in concerto performances throughout Japan and
Hawaii including the Honolulu Symphony, the New Star Japan Philharmonic
in Tokyo, the Kyushu Philharmonic in Nagasaki, and the Kyoto Symphony
in Kyoto.
Ms. Nakamichi's recent concerto performance of the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 K. 467 with the Hiroshima Symphony was reviewed in the Chugoku Newspaper as "brilliant Mozart playing" bringing Ms. Nakamichi high acclaim as one of the leading young pianists in Japan. She has been called "born to play Mozart" by the Honolulu Advertiser on her concerto performances with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra in the Mostly Mozart series in 1994.
A Canadian citizen, Ms. Nakamichi was invited to perform in a special concert event in May 1988 sponsored by the cities of Montreal and Hiroshima as part of the sister-city signing ceremony where she was awarded with a standing ovation, including both mayors of Montreal and Hiroshima. In 1989, Ms. Nakamichi made an honorable appearance at the residence of the Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, presented by the Japanese government.
As a resident of Hawaii, Ms. Nakamichi has strong ties with the musical activities in the Hawaiian Islands. In November 1994, Ms. Nakamichi was invited by the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra to be a guest soloist and gave four performances in Honolulu in the Mostly Mozart series. She had a return engagement with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra the following year, of a tour to the neighbor islands of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai, performing the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 K. 488. In June 1996, she was invited as a guest soloist to perform the Ravel Concerto in G with the Honolulu Symphony in collaboration with Music Director Samuel Wong, in an opening gala concert at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. In April 2004, Ms. Nakamichi was invited as guest soloist to perform in Louis Vuitton's 150th Anniversary Concert with the Hawaii Youth Symphony, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at the Hawaii Theater.
A prizewinner of many national and international competitions, Ms. Nakamichi has been awarded honors in the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition, the International Music Competition of Japan, and the ABC Music Awards in Osaka, among many others. While at The Juilliard School, she was a recipient of the prestigious William Petzchek Scholarship.
Lisa Nakamichi studied with Ellen Masaki in Honolulu and went on to receive her Bachelor and Master's degrees from The Juilliard School where she studied under Martin Canin. Her doctoral degree was awarded from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.