I founded the Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA) in 2016 with a dream of creating a Festival Academy where children, students and artists could come together to study, perform and enjoy concerts, all sharing in the joy of music-making whilst exploring other cultural delights, architecture, diverse cuisine and beautiful scenery. Our first festival ‘Tokyo International Piano Festival’ was held in Japan, offering an inspiring five-day piano academy in Kyoto, Osaka, Shiga, Yokohama and Tokyo, with the highlight of the grand opening recital at the Kioi Hall. This successful event led to the perfect opportunity to launch the Montecatini International Piano Festival & Competition in 2019 Montecatini Terme in Italy followed by the exclusive prize winners’ concert series at the Steinway Hall in London with the generous support of Steinway&Sons. TIPA now hosts multiple music festivals around the world and a collection of world-renowned celebrity artists gather to offer young musicians an attractive series of masterclasses, workshops, concerts, as well as live shows, featuring Vasko Vassilev (Concertmaster of the Royal Opera House, London), Peter Jablonski (International Concert Pianist), Vanessa Latarche (Head of the Keyboard, Royal College of Music), Sofya Gulyak (Professor of Piano, Royal College of Music), Chris Craker (Producer, Founder & CEO of Karma Sound Studios) Martin Tillman (EMMY nominated Hollywood film composer) as well as TIPA Artists in Residence. In October 2022, TIPA will be landing in Belgrade to launch the new international piano festival “Aisa & Friends” in honour of 140 years of friendship between Serbia and Japan. This festival represents the concept of ‘Enso’ in Japanese Zen. Enso (hand-drawn circle) symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, peace and unity and it relates to ‘Wabi- Sabi’ meaning ‘beauty of imperfection’ in traditional Japanese aesthetics. So, this is the festival for us ‘Friends’ to be united through music! We will be opening the festival with Steinway Artist, Aisa Ijiri for the Steinway Spirio Recital at the Belgrade Philharmonic Hall and the Festival Opening Concert at the Kolarac, featuring Japanese pianist Maiko Mori, Serbia’s most popular piano duo ‘LP DUO’ and our award-winning young talents. We’ll then travel to the charming town of Vršac for a week of piano masterclasses, workshops, and Prize Winners’ Concerts by Montecatini International Piano Competition Prize Winners, traveling from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the U.K., Switzerland and the USA. The Final Round of the Montecatini International Piano Competition 2022 will be held at the Millenium Centar on 29th October. It is especially noteworthy that, during the festival, participants are given the opportunity to perform in the concert hall on a superb Steinway & Sons Model D. There will also be a beautiful tour of Belgrade and Drašković Winery for the participants to enjoy the life in Serbia. With the kind support of Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Embassy of Japan, the Embassy of Italy, Steinway&Sons, Piano Land and Hanami Friendship Association, we share a joint vision dedicated to cultivating talented artists and creating a music community. We look forward to welcoming many of you to The International Piano Festival ‘Aisa & Friends’!

AISA IJIRI
Founder & Artistic Director