Tomoharu Ushida

Tomoharu Ushida was born in Japan in 1999. He moved to Shanghai shortly after birth, where he began studying the piano at the age of three. He is currently studying under Piotr Paleczny at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

In February 2012, at the age of 12, he won First Prize at the 16th Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition, marking the start of his performance career. Shortly after, he became the youngest classical pianist in the history of Japan to sign an exclusive contract with Universal Music. To date, he has released nine albums. He has performed numerous recitals both in Japan and abroad and has collaborated with renowned conductors and orchestras. He regularly performs recitals and concertos at major venues such as Suntory Hall and Tokyo Opera City, earning high praise. He has also built stable relationships with Japan’s leading orchestras, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. He has joined Japan tours with prestigious ensembles such as the Wiener Kammerorchester (2014), the Russian National Orchestra (2015, 2018), the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra (2016), the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (2018), and the FOK Prague Symphony Orchestra (2024). Furthermore, he has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Pablo Heras-Casado, Okko Kamu, Sascha Goetzel, Andris Poga, Alexander Liebreich, Kazuki Yamada, and Nodoka Okisawa.

In 2019, he won Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. In 2024, he was also awarded the Audience Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition.