Rutsuko Yamagishi -Pianist

She was born in Vancouver, Canada and began playing the piano at the age of three. After graduating Toho high school of music, she entered Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo where she studied with Professor Sadako Matsuoka. In 1993 she shifted to Vancouver to continued her studies under Professor Eugene Skovorodnikov.

In 1995 she received the third (3rd) prize of the international piano competition "Roma 1995" in Italy.In 1997 she admitted by the first (1st) prize at British Colombia Association of Performing Arts Festival.

In 1998 she performed the concert of SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN MUSIC FESTIVAL (recommended of Lazar Berman) with excellent reputation on the news paper of Flensburger and Lubeck.

In 1999 she gave her first concert at Budini Gattai Palace in Florence, Italy. She later performed concerts to the following cultural institutions:Istituto Universitario Europeo (S.Domenico Fiesole), Museo della Madonna del Parto (Monterchi,Arezzo), Palazzo dei Vicari Scarperia, Teatro Comunale (Florence).

In 1999 she gave her debut recital at Casals Hall in Tokyo organized by Kajimoto Concert Management with remarkable reputation on 3 music magazines in Japan.

Following her piano debut in Tokyo, she performed concerts in Japan every year thereafter;

She has been invited more than once to the Japanese broadcasts by NHK-FM national radio and television.

She has executed concerts organized by YAMAHA, KAWAI and other Japanese institutions.

In 2003 she performed the Mozart piano concerto K.467 with the Kaunas chamber orchestra under the direction of Pavel Berman. She performed a very successful tour in Japan in 2004 and has made her debut in London.

Since 1997 she studies at Florence, Italy with Valentina Berman and Lazar Berman.