Organist | Pianist
Praised for her “graceful” (The New York Times) performances, Aya Hamada has been St. Esprit’s organist since 2007, and has given numerous recitals and chamber music concerts in the major venues in the North and South Americas, Europe and Asia. She has performed with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Promusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra (Japan), Sinfonietta Cracovia (Poland), Juilliard 415, Juilliard Symphony, and also appeared under conductors such as William Christie, Jordi Savall, and Masaaki Suzuki
A native of Kobe, Japan, Ms. Hamada made her debut with the Kobe Chamber Orchestra at the age of seventeen. She has won many awards, including first prize in the London Music Festival Competition and second prize in the Josef Hofmann Piano Competition, and earned her master of music degree in the inaugural class of Historical Performance from the Juilliard School. She studied under Kenneth Weiss in New York and Skip Sempé in Paris. She can be heard on the Naxos, BCMF Records and Live Notes/ Nami Records.