Aimi Kobayashi's Profile (AADGT)
Aimi Kobayashi. Born September 23rd, 1995.
Aimi has been playing the piano since she was 3 years old. Starting in 2001
Aimi won the world's largest Piano competition - The PTNA (Piano Teachers' National Association of Japan) Piano Competition, 4
years in a row. In 2004 aged 8 years old, Aimi made a new world record as the
youngest winner of the National Sonare Award (Junior Level G).
At the 2003 Tosu City Hupfer Memorial Piano Concours for Peace, Aimi came
first winning the children's Grand Prize. 2004 saw the 5th International Chopin
Piano Competition in Asia, where Aimi won the Gold prize at 1st and 2nd grade
Elementary School level. In 2005 Aimi Kobayashi became the first fourth-grader
in the past 59 years to come first in the final round of the Student Music
Councours of Japan, Elementary School Division (4th - 6th grade).
At age 7 Aimi played with an orchestra, and achieved her international debut
at the age of 9. Until this point most of her concert appearances had been
national solo or concerto performances such as with the Kyushu Symphony
Orchestra, but in 2005 Aimi traveled to perform in Paris (Cortot Hall) and New
York (Carnegie Hall, sponsored by AADGT). Due to the Carnegie Hall appearance,
Aimi and AADGT were featured in a French television program that was broadcast
to the whole of Europe. Tokyo MX TV aired the program, and in December of the
same year Aimi appeared on NHK Television.
In January 2006 Aimi performed in Tokyo Opera City Hall with the Yomiuri
Nippon Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra has a history of over 40 years but Aimi
is quoted as being the "youngest soloist since the violinist Mayuko Kamio
performed when she was still at Junior High School" (Ms. Egami, Yomiuri Nippon
Symphony Orchestra, Performance division). The concert was featured by NTV
Japan. She has won the Yamaguchi Prefecture "Glory Culture Prize" 3 times. Aimi
has been recieving tutelage from Yuko Ninomiya since she was 8 years old.
In October of 2006 Aimi performed in Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium
as part of the "The Passion of Music" concert sponsored by AADGT.
In December 2006, AADGT sponsored Aimi's performance of Mozart's Piano
Concerto No. 26 ("Coronation Concerto"), conducted by Vladimir Spivakov at the
Moscow International House of Music. The concert was a great success, and was
featured on Russian television.
Aimi played with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra at Suntory Hall on March
31st, 2007. On April 2nd Aimi gave a Debut Recital at the Symphony Hall of Acros
Fukuoka.
Press Coverage
- Newspapers - Mainichi Shinbun, Mainichi Shougakusei Shinbun,
Yomiuri Shinbun, Yamaguchi Shinbun, Russian Newspapers.
- Television - MCI-Paris, NHK, Nippon Television, KRY TV
Yamaguchi, Tokyo MX Television.
- Radio - Tokyo FM Radio, NHK, KRY Radio Yamaguchi.
- Magazine and Periodicals - New York Concert Review, Chopin,
Ongaku no Tomo, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra publication "Orchestra."
