Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

The 6th Fujairah International Piano Competition was held in Fujairah, UAE, from January 18^th to 30^th and the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano was chosen as the official piano for the competition.

Kawai has begun to provide support starting from this edition.

One of Kawai’s most esteemed piano technician, MPA (Master Piano Artisan) Kiyotoshi Yokoyama from Kawai Japan, also played a pivotal role at the Fujairah International Piano Competition. He diligently worked on not only crafting the sound, but also contestant support through active communication.

Mr. Ichiro Matsuda (Kawai Japan) and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah (Chairman of the Academy's Board of Trustees)

The 6th Fujairah International Piano Competition: Final Results

Category A (~10 years old)

Category A 1st Prize winner: Elena BATHAIEE

Category B (11~13 years old)

Category B 1st Prize winner: Adriana VASILSKI

Category C (14~17 years old)

Category C 1st Prize winner: Nguyen Duc KIEN

Category D (18~ years old)

Category D 1st Prize winner: Zhiqiao Zhang

Comments from 1st Prize winner: Zhiqiao Zhang

- How did you feel about winning the prize?
I am very grateful to being selected as a finalist in this time Fujairah competition. To being a finalist in such an important international competition needed a lot of luck too. This time in Fujairah I met so many great people like a Kawai’s piano technician, I feel so supportive, which influenced my way of playing in good way. To be a finalist, the people you met, how you play, the program you choose are all very important. This time I feel everything that is important for me comes together. For the concerto that I played in the final round (Chopin concerto No.1) is actually my first time to play this piece with the orchestra, so it is a very memorable and fresh experience for me.

- What are your impressions of the SK-EX full concert grand piano?
To be honest, Shigeru Kawai grand piano is always my top choice as a concert grand piano. In the competition, as I expect for Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano, the touches of the keyboard is so sensitive that it can always transfer directly my feeling into the sound. The sound of the Shigeru Kawai grand piano is very singing and projective, even in such a dry acoustic hall, the sound can directly spread to the last raw of the audience. This experience in Fujairah competition reinforces my idea of having Shigeru Kawai as my top choice of the piano.

About the 6th Fujairah International Piano Competition

The 6th Fujairah International Piano Competition is a prestigious international piano competition for young pianists, organized by the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy in the UAE and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah. The competition was first launched in 2019, and its sixth edition took place at the end of January 2025.

Official website: https://www.ffaa-fuj.com/

About the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX full concert grand piano

Unveiled in 2001 as the flagship instrument of the Shigeru Kawai line, the SK-EX concert grand piano is hand-crafted in limited numbers following a unique ‘prototyping’ creation process. In order to achieve the supreme range of expression required in a concert piano, each instrument utilizes a variety of carefully selected materials, with premium aged spruce soundboards. Shigeru Kawai instruments adopt the advanced Millennium III keyboard action, featuring extended wooden keys and advanced ABS Carbon action parts, providing superior speed and responsiveness than conventional wooden action parts, allowing pianists to express a greater range of feeling and emotion in their performance.

Official website: https://www.shigerukawai.jp/en/