Masaya Kamei, born in Aichi, Japan, in 2001, gained international recognition in 2022 when he won the First Prize, Journalists Award, and Audience Award at the Long-Thibaud International Competition in France.
In 2023, he made his debut with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1. He also gave his debut recital at the Festival de la Roque d’Anthéron and the Vilnius Piano Festival. Additionally, he toured Japan with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, where he played Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in 11 concerts. During this time, he also performed with some of the most prestigious orchestras, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Invited to the Festival de la Grange de Meslay and Lille Piano Festival during the summer of 2024, Masaya Kamei returned to the Festival de la Roque d’Anthéron with the Orchestre Philharmonique de l’Opéra de Marseille under the baton of Lawrence Foster. The concert was praised as:
“The breathtaking Chopin of young Japanese pianist Masaya Kamei. Under the attentive
guidance of maestro Lawrence Foster, the 22-year-old prodigy proved that he is now
playing in the big league.”
— Le Monde
“Everything is there, with an authentic emotion.”
— Le Point
He has further expanded his career with recitals in Vienna, Sydney, and Seoul. He began his piano studies at the age of four. After studying at the Toho Gakuen School of Music with Hisako Ueno, Michiko Okamoto, and Shoichi Hase, he is currently studying with Momo Kodama at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe.
He is student of Fondazione Accademia di Musica ETS since 2025.
