SAX FEST WINNER

The Japanese saxophonist Wataru Hirai, first prize winner of the 2025 edition, offers a recital that highlights the versatility and expressive capacity of an instrument that, somewhere between tradition and contemporaneity, has become one of the most unique features of the current repertoire. He is accompanied by pianist Rin Arai, with whom he shares a refined and nuanced musical partnership.

The concert will take place in the Church of Santa Coloma, one of the most iconic heritage spaces in the country. Proximity to the audience and the unique acoustics make this proposal an intimate and special experience.

A unique opportunity to discover one of the most promising young figures on the international scene in a close-up format that is open to everyone.

Born in 1998 in Niigata (Japan), she began studying piano at the age of three. She trained at the Tokyo College of Music with Ayumi Yokoyama, Atsuko Okada and Tomoaki Yoshida.

In 2024 she obtained a master's degree in chamber music from the Tokyo University of the Arts and, in the same year, she was admitted to the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris, where she studied in the piano accompaniment class with Reiko Hozu and Ariane Jacob. At the same time, she continued her piano training at the Mozart Centre Conservatory with Claudio Chaiquin.

She is an outstanding accompanist and chamber musician, collaborating with young performers and international projects.