Kitahara Yoshitsugu
No. 7
Country: Japan
Date of birth: 25 January, 1999
Yoshitsugu Kitahara spent his early childhood in the United States and after returning to Japan, he received Bachelor (2020) and Master (2022) degrees in Piano from Kunitachi College of Music, where he was twice awarded the Okada Kuro Memorial Scholarship (2019, 2020), and the Kreutzer Memorial Prize for 2022 (the highest distinction in piano for the master program). He is currently studying Schumannʼs early piano works in the Doctoral Program of Kunitachi College of Music under the guidance of Kayo Miki, Naoki Arimori, and Chiharu Hanaoka. Yoshitsugu has won numerous prizes at competitions, the most prestigious of which include 2nd Prize at the 27th Music Prize of Matsukata Hall in 2024, 3rd Prize at the 9th Minoru Nojima-Yokosuka Piano Competition in 2022, and 3rd Prize at the 32nd Takarazuka Vega Music Competition in 2020, 1st Prize at the Tama Fresh Music Concert in 2016. He was also one of the semi-finalists in the 19th International Robert Schumann Competition (Zwickau, Germany) in 2024. In addition, Yoshitsugu was featured in the Newcomer Concert of the Japan Piano Tuning Society, and has performed in concerts sponsored by piano makers such as Yamaha, Bösendorfer and Bechstein.
Competition Repertoire
Preliminary
D. Scarlatti: C-dúr szonáta // Keyboard Sonata in C major, K. 406
Bartók: Táncszvit // Dance Suite, BB 86b » 3. Allegro vivace, 4. Molto tranquillo, 5. Comodo, 6. Finale – Allegro
Liszt: Transzcendens etűdök // Études d’exécution transcendante » 12. Chasse-neige
Semi-final
Bartók: Három csíkmegyei népdal // Three Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, BB 45b
Bartók: Két román tánc // Two Romanian Dances, BB 56, op. 8a » 1. Allegro vivace
Beethoven: 28. (A-dúr) zongoraszonáta // Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, op. 101
Mátyás Papp: Kirakós // Puzzle
Solo final
Bartók: Szonáta // Sonata, BB 88
Schumann: Humoreszk // Humoresque, op. 20
Prokofiev: c-moll etűd // Etude in C minor, op. 2/3
Grand final
Liszt: Haláltánc // Totentanz