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The Japanese-born pianist and harpsichordist, Asako Ogawa (Asako Anna Ginova), started piano at the age of 4 and won many regional and national prizes. After graduating from the Ocyanomizu University, Tokyo, she was accepted to study with Nina Sereda at the Trinity College of Music, London with full scholarship, where she completed Advanced Diploma with distinction and Master of Music degree. She won the 3rd prize in TCM soloists' Competition and performed César Franck's Variations Symphoniques under the baton of Peter Stark at the St John's Smith Square. She then was accepted at the Postgraduate Accompanists' Course and Chamber Music Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) with scholarship and completed Post-Graduate Diploma, Master of Music degree, and Fellowship. She formed the Freude Piano Trio at GSMD and the ensemble was one of the semi finalists in the International Chamber Music Competition, Lyon and gained a forth place in the International Brahms Competition. With the Freude Piano Trio, she performed in several international festivals. She studied piano with Masaru & Kiyoko Yazima, Ryoko Mashimo, Chitoshi Kurokawa and Schyuichiro Endo in Japan, Robin Bowman, Ronan O'Hora, Iain Burnside, John York and Nina Sereda, in UK.
Asako Ogawa's path as a historical keyboard player developed with her taking up the harpsichord in 2006 at the historical performance department of GSMD, where she has completed her Postgraduate Diploma (2001-2006), and was awarded a Fellowship. She studied harpsichord with Nicholas Parle, James Johnstone, and Laurence Cummings, fortepiano with Steven Devine. She has participated in the international courses and master-classes by Bob van Asperen, Colin Tilney, Ton Koopman and Christophe Rousset. She received a scholarship to participate in the Aestas Musica Baroque School in Croatia, where she played continuo for Purcell's Fairy Queen and Indian Queen productions under the direction of Laurence Cummings. She won the Accompanist’s Prize in the London Handel Singing Competition and was also a finalists in the Broadwood Harpsichord Ensemble Competition. She also performed in the Brighton Early Music Festival, which was broadcasted on BBC3 Early Music Show.
Asako Ogawa is based in London, and actively performs as a soloist (both piano and harpsichord), as a chamber musician and as an accompanist, and as a continuo player in UK, Europe and Japan.
Asako Ogawa has been actively performing as a piano soloist, as a chamber musician and as an accompanist. Her main appearances as a pianist include Wigmore Hall, Sale Moriéle, Lyon, St John's Smith Square, London. Asako performed in numerous international festivals including, the Los Angels Piano Festival, Peter de Grote International Summer Festival, Netherland and Banff International Summer Festival. She specialised in the art of vocal accompaniment and chamber music. She performed in many vocal projects and in public concert series devised by Graham Johnson, Iain Burnside, Eugine Asti and Robin Bowman at Guildhall school of Music & Drama. She also played for several international vocal courses and international competitions. She worked with many renown singers, Vania Stankov (soprano), Susana Gaspar (soprano), Jorge Navarro Colorado (tenor), Josep Ramon Olivé (baritone), Héloïse Mas (mezzo-soprano) and to name a few. She also performed with numerous instrumentalists including the violist Maxim Rysanov and violinist Ivo Stankov, to name a few. Recently she has been giving recital tour in Belgium with Héloïse Mas. She received the Honour Award in the Peter de Grote International Music Festival in Netherlands, and the MBF Sir Henry Richardson Award for accompanists from the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund, and was invited to BANFF Summer Chamber Music Course with the Freude Piano Trio.
Asako Ogawa is also in demand as a historical keyboard player, performs on harpsichord, and fortepiano. As harpsichord a soloist, she has been performing J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) in UK and Japan recently and her performances received enthusiastic acclaim, recently issued her debut recording of the piece. The CD was praised by the critic Robert Hugill : ‘There is a clarity to her approach ; everydetail of Bach’s part writing is clear’. Her appearances include Leicester International Music Festival, Faversham Music Festival, London Bach Festival. Brighton Early Music Festival, BBC Radio 3, and the Georgian Concert Society, Edinburgh. She is a regular performer at Handel House and London Handel Festival. Last year she gave a recital with the winners of the 2017 LHSC in the Halle Händel Festival, Germany and was invited back to give a solo recital this year.
Asako Ogawa founded a Baroque Ensemble LUX which has been a regular at the London Handel Festival and was invited to perform in the prestigous concert series of the Georgian Concert Society, Edinburgh.
Asako Ogawa is married to the cellist Nikolay Ginov and they enjoy performing together. Alongside her performing career, she dedicates herself to teaching young talents at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (since 2006), City of London School for Girls, Prendergast School and Sydenham School. |
