» Contact to receive more information on this artist   "5 out of 5 stars: Exquisite, magically radiant...piano playing of the highest standard" -- Music OMH (UK)   World Representation American pianist Grace Nikae has established an impressive international reputation as one of the leading and compelling artists of her generation. Thrilling and captivating audiences and critics alike with her exquisite artistry, blazing virtuosity, and passionate, individual style, Ms. Nikae has been hailed worldwide for her "poetic and fiery" playing and her performances of "superb technique and powerful expressiveness" on concert stages throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. During the 2006-2007 season, Ms. Nikae will perform recitals in major musical centers across Europe and the United States, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, Madrid, Amsterdam, London, and Paris, among many others. Highlights of the upcoming season include recitals and the annual Grace Nikae Piano Seminar in Okierabu, Japan, recitals of her Piano Revolution Project in Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, and New York, performances of the complete Beethoven sonatas for cello and piano with Adolfo Gutierrez Arenas in the Auditorio de Zaragoza, as well as performances with esteemed colleagues in the Madrid Chamber Players. In recent seasons, Ms. Nikae’s busy touring schedule has brought her in recital to the world’s foremost halls including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Corcoran Gallery, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Nagaoka Cultural Center and Matsukata Hall in Japan. Her recent London Wigmore Hall recital debut in 2006 was the sensation of the season, and received the highest critical and public acclaim. Festival appearances include Muskoka Lakes (Canada), Silver Bay (New York), and Kuhmo (Finland), and she has performed as soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Past season highlights include tours of the US and Europe, including critically acclaimed recital debuts in Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, and Chicago, three solo tours of southern Japan, performances at the National Book Awards, resident pianist at the Viking Music Festival, as well as the launch of the inaugural Grace Nikae Piano Seminar on Japan's Okierabu Island, an intensive four day course of masterclasses, lectures, performances, and lessons which Ms. Nikae gave to aspiring young pianists, fostering their artistic and cultural vision. An ardent chamber musician, Ms. Nikae frequently collaborates with distinguished artists and with members of leading orchestras, including the Toronto, Boston, and Beijing Orchestras. She is also the founder and artistic director of the Madrid Chamber Players, which will be making its inaugural debut in the 2006 season. Renowned for her innovative and diverse programming, whether it be from Bach to Ligeti or from Mozart to Carter, Ms. Nikae’s variety of bold projects challenge and further explore the audience and performer’s connection with the piano solo and chamber repertoire, and is a testament to her commitment towards the continued evolution and development of her art. Projects in 2006-2007 include performances of the complete Beethoven sonatas for cello and piano in Zaragoza (Spain), as well as the Piano Revolution Series, four recitals in which Ms. Nikae will explore the solo piano works of 20th century composers (Ligeti, Kurtag, Xenakis, Boulez, Carter, Cage, Crumb, among many others) who have redefined the boundaries of the piano as an instrument. A prizewinner and the highest-ranking American at the 1998 Ibla International Piano Competition in Italy, Ms. Nikae also won the 2000 Artists International Debut Prize, and was presented in her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2001 to critical acclaim. New York Concert Review declared her “a musician able to summon a wonderful modicum of harmonic tension, musical lyricism and architectural coherence”. Her numerous other accolades include  the 2005 Hawaii Music Award in Classical Music, first prize in piano at the 2002 Sorantin International Young Artist Competition, the prestigious 1995 Sterling Scholar Award in Music, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra Scholarship Competition, the Morning Music Club Scholarship Competition, the Mark Nevin Young Piano Scholarship Award, as well as the Paderewski Medal and the Cliburn Family and Liberace Memorial Scholarships from the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Her debut solo CD, Fantasies, featuring the music of Scriabin, Granados, Falla, and Liszt, was released worldwide in 2006. Her engaging personality and many talents have been widely recognized by the media. She has been featured in print advertisements in the US, and her performances are frequently broadcast and national and international radio and television, including Spanish TV, Minami-Nihon TV (Japan), KIKU-TV (Hawaii), and WFMT-FM radio and Channel 25 TV (Chicago), among many others. Ms. Nikae's belief in the importance of what music can communicate and impart onto people and society leads her to take time in her busy schedule to give masterclasses, lectures, and more informal sessions at conservatories and universities throughout the US, Asia, and Europe. Past events have included performances on behalf of institutions such as the Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington DC, the Embassy of Spain in The Hague, Instituto Cervantes, The Spanish Institute in New York City, the Kansai-Okierabu Association (Japan), Okierabu China City and Country Government and Board of Education (Japan), Save the Children, the United States Embassy and Consulate General in Spain, and the American Church in Paris, among many others. She is also the founder and artistic director of The Renaissance Academy in Hawaii, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to providing academic and artistic enrichment, and to expanding the educational and cultural possibilities of the Hawaii community. Ms. Nikae began her musical education at the age of 2 with her mother. Her first public performance was at the age of three; by the age of four, she was featured on local television performing the Haydn C Major concerto. Her debut as orchestral soloist came at the age of eight with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, and at the age of thirteen, she performed her news-making solo recital debut in Japan. Her teachers included Martin Canin of The Juilliard School and the legendary Alexander Slobodyanik. Reflecting her multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary background and approach, she also sought out a traditional liberal arts education and pursued her undergraduate degree in European history at Columbia University. www.gracenikae.com         “Lovely, expansively heartfelt… a musician able to summon a wonderful modicum of harmonic tension, musical lyricism, and architectural coherence.” New York Concert Review     “A clear demonstration of her virtuosity and powers of persuasion ” Pianowereld Magazine (Netherlands)     “A rising world star. ” MidWeek     "Moved by her superb technique and powerful expressiveness, the hall was enveloped in thunderous applause... The audience was carried along by a performance that ranged from the softest, most delicate and dreamy sounds to exciting lion-like roars that shook the piano." Ohshima Newspaper (Japan)     “Her performance, richly imbued with sensitivity and dynamism, enthralled the hall.” Minami-Nihon Newspaper (Japan)               © Ars Centrum. All rights reserved.