Tani-Banfield Wakako

Subjects

Repetiteurship

Biography

The Japanese pianist Wakako Tani-Banfield completed her piano studies with professor Shun Sato at the Aichi University of the Arts in Japan with a bachelor’s degree. She went on to study piano with professor Paul Dan at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, where she graduated with top marks. She was then accepted into professor Winfried Apel’s masterclass at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in Dresden. During her studies, she won 1st prize in the 4th International Music Competition in Lissone (Italy) in the piano category.

She was appointed as an instrumental répétiteur for strings and wind instruments at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in Dresden. At the same time, she performed many concerts as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist – including at the island concerts on Herrenchiemsee and in the Semperoper Dresden. As an accompanist, she has performed in masterclasses with great artists such as professor Natalia Prischepenko, professor Pauline Sachse, professor Piotr Szumiel, and professor Christian Dallmann.

In 2021 she was appointed by the ‘Erben Musicfestival’ in Munich to accompany the masterclass of the famous cellist Steven Isserlis. She was an official accompanist at the 54th Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition in the cello category and was awarded a special prize for outstanding piano accompaniment.