Japanese master pianist to delight Cork crowds

A very special talent will grace Leeside next month in the form of Japanese master pianist Yukine Kuroki.

Performing on 8 March at MTU Cork School of Music, and on 9 March at St Brendan’s Church in Bantry, Kuroki is a must-see sensation for true classical music lovers.

The concert programme, presented by Music Network, will include Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and a selection of Transcendental Études by Lizst, as well as music by Rachmaninoff, Kapustin, and Tokuyama. Kuroki will also perform Fantasia on ‘Port na bPúcaí’ by Dr Fergus Johnston which was specially commissioned by Music Network for the tour.

Running from 7-16 March, her tour kicks off in Sligo, and continues to Cork, Offaly, Dublin, Newry, Waterford, Westmeath, and Kilkenny.

Having conquered many hearts in recent years, winning both the Liszt Utrecht Competition and Dublin International Piano Competition in 2022, Kuroki’s mastery of the instrument has prompted leading Canadian pianist Janina Fialkowska to describe her as “a true poet at the piano, who can make you cry with a single note”.

Kuroki started playing the piano at the tender age of three and first performed with an orchestra when she was just seven years old.

Since then, she has been performing all over the world, including sold-out debuts with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo New City Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, and Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.

The 2024/2025 season sees Kuroki make debuts at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Germany’s Munich Gasteig, Kuhmo Hall in South Korea, and at Switzerland’s Verbier Festival. Kuroki will also make a triumphant return to the National Concert Hall, Dublin as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, and perform a solo recital at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

Kuroki’s recordings ‘Christmas with Yukine’ and ‘Live at Liszt Utrecht’ can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and other streaming platforms. Kuroki has recently completed a master’s programme at Showa Graduate School of Music in Tokyo under Fumiko Eguchi.