Yoshikazu Nagai
Piano

Praised by audiences and critics alike for his fresh interpretations and dramatic presentation style, pianist YOSHIKAZU NAGAI has performed as soloist and chamber musician internationally in such venues as the Shanghai Concert Hall in China, National Recital Hall in Taiwan, Carnegie Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Kennedy Center's Terrace Theatre, and Seattle's Benaroya Hall. His recital schedules in recent seasons have included performances in Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Canada, Italy, Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio, New York, Seattle, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. among others.  Mr. Nagai has also appeared at the Aspen Music Festival, the SarasotaMusic Festival, Music Academy of the West,

Spoleto Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, the Philips Collection, the International Piano Series in Charleston, and in recent collaborations with violinists Robert Mann, and Anthony Marwood.  In addition, he is a frequent soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S. and his performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio's "Performance Today", RAI (Italian National TV),  Hong Kong National Radio, KUHF-Houston, KBYU-Salt Lake City, WCLV-Cleveland,  and KALW-San Francisco amongst others.  

Mr. Nagai won first prize at the 2002 Washington International Piano Competition and the Liszt Special Mention Prize in the 2002 IBLA Grand Prize International Piano Competition held in Italy. He has also won major prizes at the San Antonio International Piano Competition, Missouri Southern International Piano Competition, New Orleans International Piano Competition and the Concert Artists Guild International Music Competition (inaugural SVCCS performance prize).

Mr. Nagai is currently Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and summer faculty at the Eastern Music Festival and School.  He has also been faculty at the Beijing International Festival in China, Summit Music Festival in NY and CCM’s Art of the Piano.  He is a former piano faculty member at the Interlochen Arts Academy where he taught piano, chamber music, and piano literature for eight years.  Recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) for excellence in teaching, he frequently gives masterclasses and serves as juror throughout the United States and Asia.

Current and former students of Mr. Nagai are top prizewinners of national and international competitions including the, Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition, Music Teacher's National Association Piano Competition, Nina Wideman, King Award Young Artists Competition, Missouri Southern, Heida Hermanns, Corpus Christi Young Artists International Piano Competitions and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Mr. Nagai studied with John Perry at Rice University and received his master of music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he was awarded the Malvina Podis Prize in Piano upon graduation. Other teachers include Paul Schenly, Sergei Babayan and Duane Hulbert. 

Piano Program
Piano Program, Faculty