Mona Asuka
Every artist has her own fuel: a fuel to drive her inspiration and give meaning to her very own artistic quest. In Mona Asuka’s case, it has always been a two-component fuel, consisting of personal experiences and those moments up on stage when she is able to feel the direct joy of the audience. After Asuka’s first experiences in concerts and competitions she first appeared as a soloist with an orchestra when she was thirteen years old. The list of acclaimed orchestras she played with has steadily grown since her years of study with Karl- Heinz Kämmerling in Salzburg and Bernd Glemser in Würzburg. She worked with the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg and the Musikkollegium Winterthur.
With every piece Mona Asuka plays, she always has one clear purpose: never lose the thread of suspense, never disrupt the flow of a composition. The same applies for her recital programs and collaborations with chamber music partners like Simon Höfele, the Goldmund Quartett and the Aris Quartett. Her performances at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Kurhaus Wiesbaden, Tonhalle Zürich and Stuttgarter Liederhalle were met with great enthusiasm. She is a regular guest in Japan and at Festivals all around the globe. Notable appearances have included Klavierfestival Ruhr, Festival La Roque d’Anthéron, at Kissinger Sommer, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Castlemaine State Festival in Australia, and the Rheingau Musikfestival to name just a few.
Born in 1991 to a German father and a Japanese mother, Mona Asuka counts herself among a generation of musicians who do not want to be solely perceived as masters of their craft. For her, it is natural to show the world her life off the keys, because of how much non-musical experiences shape her musical understanding. Broadcasting non-musical content to viewers outside the usual circle of connoisseurs of classical music also allows her to create fruitful links to a new audience and increase public exposure to her music. She takes one first step in this direction by showing her passion for baking online: you can find her baking tutorials under the hashtag #monascakeparadise, her baking skills were also captured in a series produced by the Bayerischer Rundfunk. This way, hobby bakers get to know her as a pianist and fans of classical music watch her as a craftswoman working with flour, milk and sugar.
Mona Asuka finds artistic fulfillment in spontaneously surrendering to her feelings during performances and particularly appreciates the ostensible simplicity of songful, catchy melodies. No wonder she selected works by Schubert and Liszt for her first CD (2017, Oehms Classics) and applied herself to more and lesser known pieces by Mozart on her second album (2020, Hänssler Classic). The grand piano she chose for the second recording is an old Bechstein model formerly belonging to Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli: an instrument which neither aims for the immaculate sharpness of modern concert grands nor imitates the fragile singing of historical fortepianos. It rather surprises with a unique sound – just as Mona Asuka does.
