Kiyoko Takeuti

Kiyoko Takeuti joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as its pianist in 1988 and is heard frequently in recitals and chamber music concerts in the Philadelphia area and elsewhere on the East Coast. She has been the pianist of the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble since its inception, with which she has introduced to the public many unknown chamber music works, both old and new.

Born in Tokyo, Ms. Takeuti began playing the piano at the age of three. Among her early teachers in Japan and the United States were Tanya Ury, Max Egger, and Soulima Stravinsky. Ms. Takeuti’s formal musical training culminated in studies with renowned artists Rudolf Serkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski at the Curtis Institute of Music. At Curtis she also studied chamber music extensively with Misha Schneider and the members of the Guarneri Quartet. 

Ms. Takeuti’s performing career began with solo recitals at the age of 11. At 19 she was a winner of the J.S. Bach International Competition in Washington, D.C., where she played the “Goldberg” Variations. She has been a soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra as a student audition winner, in addition to appearances with other orchestras. Ms. Takeuti has been a participant at the Marlboro and Lucerne music festivals. In 2007 she toured Europe as part of the World Orchestra for Peace with conductor Valery Gergiev.

Photo: Jean Brubaker