Atsuko Seta

Atsuko Seta (瀬田　敦子) (born March 4, 1955, in Osaka ) is a Japanese classical pianist.

She is particularly successful in Poland, especially in the southwest of the country, regularly performing with the Sudeten Philharmonic Orchestra in Walbrzych and in her native Japan and in Bulgaria.

Seta is living in Poland as a Honorable Citizen of Szczawno-Zdroj city.

Artistic Director of Chiangmai Ginastera International Music Festival.

Honorary Professor of Payap University Thailand.

Honorary Chairman of Japan Ginastera Association.

In 1977 she graduated from the Department of Music, Piano Course, Osaka Kyoiku University.

In 1978, she completed a Postgraduate Course, starting her career as a pianist, mentored by Argentine pianist Eduardo Delgado.

She also studied at the International Academy Friedrich Wilhelm Schnurre in Sion, Switzerland in 1991 and has performed concertos in the country.

Their 91st concerto, titled Mytown Concerto no.9 was at a hall in Seta's home town in northern Osaka.

In 1996, Seta won the top prize of the Masterplayers International Music Competition in Italy and completed a master course in Flaine International Music Academy in France, also studying at the Kyoto France Music Academy.

Since 1997, she has performed in Europe every year, especially piano concertos, with the Sudeten Philharmonic in Poland.

Soon after she was awarded the Masterplayers Prize in 1996, on March 20, 1997, Seta performed with her home orchestra Senri Civic Symphony Orchestra, which is called Senri Phylharmonia Osaka presently.

Among the trio, the volcalist was Ai Fujiki, Seta and Fusako Tamura was on piano, Akiko Yui on clarinet, and Shungo Moriyama conducted Morzart, San Sans, and Greeg.

It was in 2003 and Atsuko Seta received the Music Critic Club Prize, which has been given to the most active musician in West Japan.

In 2003 and 2004, she began performing piano concertos with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra, the first Japanese pianist to do so, and while playing Grieg Piano Concerto First movement　in A minor on June 27, 2003, then on December 10, 2004, she performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 with the orchestra.

Just days later she gave recitals in Italy, Ecce Homo Church in Ragusa (December 14), Santa Teresa Church in Scicli (December 15) and at the Mercedari Palace in Modica (December 18).

In 2004, she received the IBLA Grand Prize Ginastera Special Award in Italy.

Seta respected Alberto Ginastera, so that during her visit to the United States in April 2005, she gave Ginastera recitals at the Yamaha Center on April 10, then at Carnegie Hall and New York University on April 11 during which she performed Ginastera Sonata No.1 amongst others.

Seta mostly performed at concerts for charity or peace in her native Japan in 2004 and 2005, including a memorial concert in Osaka on January 16, 2005, marking 10 years since the Great Hanshin earthquake.

After her visit to the United States for the performance in Los Angeles and New York City in May 2005, Seta performed with the Sudeten Philharmonic, during which she recited Mendelssohn — Trio First Movement, op. 39, Brahms — Trio Third Movement, op. 87 and Ravel Piano Concerto G-major.

She performed that repertoire with the Sudeten Philharmonic in Walbrzych on September 29, 2006.

Then, in November 2006, she gave a series of concerts with Italian accordionist in Osaka and Kobe.

At Christmas 2006, Seta gave special Christmas solo recitals, entitled "All Liszt Program" at the Sogakudo Hall in Tokyo and at the Takarazuka Vega Hall in Hyōgo Prefecture.

On July 27, 2007, she performed Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement and on September 28, 2007, she performed his Für Elise.

Between October 26 and October 30, 2007, she performed at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Poland as part of the Japanese week.

On January 19, 2008, Seta performed in a memorial concert for Princess Galyani Vadhana in Chiang Mai.

After solo recitals in late June at the Sun Heart Music Hall and Nagahama Hall in Yokohama, Constanze House in Gifu and a Salon Concert at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo, she went to Bulgaria in November, 2008.

There she performed a Khachaturian Piano Concerto with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra on November 20, completed a Master Course at the Bulgaria National Music Academy the following day and reperformed the Khachaturian Piano Concerto on November 25 with the Stara Zagora Opera Philharmonic Orchestra in Stara Zagora Opera Hall.

She gave a more private recital on November 27, 2008, at the Bulgaria Japanese Ambassador's residence.

On February 21, 2009, Seta performed a Piano Trio in Poland with Danuta Organisciuk and Wlodek Zylin, reciting Brahms C-major.

A day later, she gave a solo recital in the town of Kudowa-Zdrój.

Between May 22 and 24, 2009, she performed at the Garibaldi Theatre in Ragusa, Italy.

On June 3, she performed with the Veliko Tarnovo Philharmonic Orchestra in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.

On November 21, 2009, Seta performed with the Chiang Mai Philharmonic Orchestra, with which she held on September 16, 2016 "a Gala to commemorate the 100th anniversary of A. Ginastera” with contest in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when she played two pieces of Ginastera as: “Malambo from Estancia” and “Toccata from Piano Concerto #1”. It was in 2010 when she has mostly performed in her native Japan, in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. On May 21, 2010, she is scheduled to play Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with the Sudeten Philharmonic in Walbrzych, Poland.

Seta believes that across any border, the joy of music will be shared and appreciated among the winner or losers, jury or audience at music contest.

A music festival with contest in Thailand is named the Chiang Mai Ginastera International Music Festival which Seta started in 2016.

Seta organized the Chiang Mai Ginastera International Music Festival in 2016, a music festival celebrating her favorite Argentine composer A. Ginastera's 100th anniversary.

Her theory and motivation is supported by the words of her favorite Argentine composer A. Ginastera, "Music is not a creation confined with nationality; it is a global creation."

Her eight years' experience living and teaching in Chiang Mai, Thailand.