A 19-Year-Old Japanese Promising Pianist on the Horizon : Kanon Matsuda

The Nikkei Shimbun, Japanese leading daily featuring finance and economy, covers a world-leading Japanese young pianist in an exclusive interview August 15. Kanon Matsuda by name, the young pianist aged 18 from Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, made her debut as a professional pianist in the fall of 2014 at age 18. 

At age 4 she started to play the piano and, at age 6, came an invitation from the Gnessin State Musical College. She enrolled  in the college atop. At 7 she took part and won the grand prix in the Edvard Grieg International Piano Competition (Moscow). Kanon Matsuda played in a series of top international competitions and won grand prixs and first places.

Now, Miss Matuda draws attention not only by her outstanding pianism but also her unique musical name "Kanon" for her first name. 
Asked if she was so named to "drill her into music" from the start, her mother confides, "No, not at all. We thought it sounded cute and had no idea of orienting her to music." Kanon first tried ballet; she would not like it. "I personally wanted to see her learn ballet, but Kanon didn't like ballet. That's that. I was much disappointed", reflects her mother.

Interestingly enough, Kanon's uncle, an astrologist, had predicted Kanon would do well with the piano. Her mother recalled her brother's prophecy and decided to give it a try.

"I never liked ballet, but piano playing I loved a lot", recalls Kanon. So developed her career as a pianist fast and smoothly, and eventually in February, 2013, Kanon cinched the Best Student Award at the Moscow Municipal Gnessin Memorial Musical College, for the first time had a foreign student ever been awarded the honor.

Kanon Matsuda had her maiden CD made titled "Matsuda Kanon Debut Recital", November 2014.