Misako Mihara

First Prize Winner of the 26th Johannes Brahms International Competition, Misako Mihara has been widely recognised for her expressive depth and artistry. She was awarded the Grand Prize for Best Musical Performance at the 24th ABC Newcomer Concert Audition, First Prize at the 2016 Grand Prize Virtuoso Salzburg International Music Competition, and First Prize together with the Board of Directors Award from the Japan–Romania Music Society at the 12th Romanian International Music Competition. She also received Second Prize (the highest award) and the Best Performance of a Portuguese Work at the 5th Alcobaça International Chamber Music Competition, as well as numerous other distinctions, including the Top Prize at the 7th Sengawa Piano Audition.

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A graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music and its graduate programme, Mihara completed her studies with highest honours at the Berlin University of the Arts. As a recipient of the 2017 Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists (Agency for Cultural Affairs), she also completed her graduate studies at the Mozarteum University Salzburg.

Her principal teachers include Jacques Rouvier, Zlata Chochieva, Yuko Ninomiya, Izumi Komoriya, Yumiko Doi, and Mitsuyo Yamamoto.

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Her wide-ranging repertoire extends from the Baroque to contemporary works, with a particular devotion to the music of Johannes Brahms, which she continues to explore in depth as a central pillar of her artistry.

As both soloist and chamber musician, Mihara has appeared with orchestras in Japan and abroad, including the Euro Symphony SFK Orchestra, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, Gunma Symphony Orchestra, Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo New City Orchestra (now Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo).

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In 2025, she performed in ‘The Music of Nodame Cantabile – Live!’ and launched her own concert series ‘Dear Brahms’ , dedicated to the piano chamber music of Brahms.

Her acclaimed recordings Brahms Neue Bahnen and CONTRAST have been praised by critics for their refined musical insight: “Her strong fingertips express with remarkable clarity the delicate nuances the composer imbued in every note.”

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Misako Mihara currently serves as a part-time lecturer at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and its affiliated Music Classes for Children.

Recipient of the 2019 Fujisawa City Special Contribution Award for Lifelong Learning, she is also a registered artist (2025–2026) with the Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities’ Public Hall Music Revitalization Project.