Kyohei Sorita

Kyohei Sorita is one of the most celebrated pianists in Japan where he is in demand at the highest level, performing regularly in recital, with all the major Japanese orchestras as well as with his own, the Japan National Orchestra, and on tour with some of the world’s most prestigious ensembles and conductors. In 2021, Sorita caught international attention when he won the Silver Medal at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, since which time he has performed at major European festivals and with some of the finest orchestras across the globe. Highlights of Sorita’s European career thus far include debuts in 2025 at the Salzburger Festspiele with the Mozarteum Orchestra and in recital at the Klavierfest Ruhr (stepping in for Seong-Jin Cho), with the press remarking on his exemplary virtuosity and his gift for musical storytelling: "Sorita alone became the painter and poet, bringing Hartmann’s images to life without flutes, brass or bells – sharp and colourful in characterisation, with great rhetorical power". He also toured Japan with the string players of the Scharoun Ensemble and later this season will tour Japan with the Tonhalle Orchestra and Paavo Järvi. In past seasons, Sorita has performed with orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Tonkünstler Orchestra, has toured Asia with the Basel Chamber Orchestra and Japan with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Alan Gilbert. In Asia, he has performed with all of the Japanese orchestras, including Yomiuri Nippon and NHK Symphony orchestras, and elsewhere with the Taipei National Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras amongst others. Conductors with whom Sorita has performed include Ticciati, Boreyko, Weigle, Sado, Payare, Märkl, Ottensamer. In 2012, Sorita won the first prize, audience prize and three other special prizes at the 81st Japanese Music Competition. He is a graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow) and the Chopin University of Music (Warsaw). He founded the Japan National Orchestra in 2019 and in 2023 they gave their first international appearance at the Merano Festival. A dedicated advocate for musical connection and excellence, Sorita is also the founder of the NOVA Record label, with whom he has recorded many discs, and the producer of the music salon "Solistiade" which fosters connections between young musicians and music lovers.