Grace Nikae
Encyclopedia
Grace Nikae is an American
classical
pianist
. At the age of 3 months, she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii
and grew up in Aiea. She was raised by her mother, Kazuko Hashiguchi, who is a teacher. Her uncle, Kosaburo Hashiguchi, is a Japanese mathematician who solved the remaining star height problem
.
A child prodigy
, Nikae started to learn the piano from her mother at nine months old, and performed her first public performance at age three. At the age of four, she was featured on television performing a concerto by Haydn. Her debut with orchestra
came at age eight, when she performed Mozart's Concerto No. 14 KV 449
with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She made her international recital debut in Japan at the age of thirteen.
Upon graduation from Iolani School
, Nikae moved to New York City
. She continued her music studies with Martin Canin of the Juilliard School
, and with Alexander Slobodyanik
. She also pursued undergraduate studies in European history at Columbia University
. Her awards and prizes include the 2005 Hawaii Music Award in Classical Music, first prize in piano at the 2002 Sorantin International Young Artists Competition, and the 1995 Sterling Scholar Award in Music.
She has performed in halls such as Carnegie Hall
, the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), London's Wigmore Hall
, and has toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan as a soloist and chamber musician. Nikae is also active as an educator, and regularly gives masterclasses and seminars. She frequently teaches at the Grace Nikae Piano Seminar on Okinoerabu Island, Japan
, and also co-founded The Renaissance Academy, a non-profit after-school educational organization in ‘Aiea, Hawaii
with her mother.
In 2005 she recorded her debut album, Fantasies, with the solo piano music of Alexander Scriabin
, Enrique Granados
, Manuel de Falla
, and Franz Liszt
.
Nikae has resided in New York City
and Rotterdam
(Netherlands
), and currently resides in Madrid
(Spain
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. At the age of 3 months, she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and grew up in Aiea. She was raised by her mother, Kazuko Hashiguchi, who is a teacher. Her uncle, Kosaburo Hashiguchi, is a Japanese mathematician who solved the remaining star height problem
Star height problem
The star height problem in formal language theory is the question whether all regular languages can be expressed using regular expressions of limited star height, i.e. with a limited nesting depth of Kleene stars...
.
A child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
, Nikae started to learn the piano from her mother at nine months old, and performed her first public performance at age three. At the age of four, she was featured on television performing a concerto by Haydn. Her debut with orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
came at age eight, when she performed Mozart's Concerto No. 14 KV 449
Piano Concerto No. 14 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 14 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written in 1784 is a piano concerto in E-flat major catalogued with K. 449.It is the first composition he entered into a notebook of his music he then kept for the next seven years, marking down main themes, dates of completion, and other...
with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She made her international recital debut in Japan at the age of thirteen.
Upon graduation from Iolani School
Iolani School
Iolani School, located at 563 Kamoku Street in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a private coeducational college preparatory school serving over 1,800 students. Founded in 1863 by Father William R. Scott, it was the principal school of the former Anglican Church of Hawaii. It was patronized by Kamehameha IV...
, Nikae moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She continued her music studies with Martin Canin of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, and with Alexander Slobodyanik
Alexander Slobodyanik
Alexander Slobodyanik was a classical pianist from Ukraine. He enjoyed a prodigious international career spanning over five decades. He made his debut tour to the United States in 1968 which included a recital at Carnegie Hall, which was highly praised by critics, recognizing him as a leader of...
. She also pursued undergraduate studies in European history at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Her awards and prizes include the 2005 Hawaii Music Award in Classical Music, first prize in piano at the 2002 Sorantin International Young Artists Competition, and the 1995 Sterling Scholar Award in Music.
She has performed in halls such as Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), London's Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
, and has toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan as a soloist and chamber musician. Nikae is also active as an educator, and regularly gives masterclasses and seminars. She frequently teaches at the Grace Nikae Piano Seminar on Okinoerabu Island, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and also co-founded The Renaissance Academy, a non-profit after-school educational organization in ‘Aiea, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
with her mother.
In 2005 she recorded her debut album, Fantasies, with the solo piano music of Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
, Enrique Granados
Enrique Granados
Enrique Granados y Campiña was a Spanish pianist and composer of classical music. His music is in a uniquely Spanish style and, as such, representative of musical nationalism...
, Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century....
, and Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
.
Nikae has resided in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
), and currently resides in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).