Yasuyo Segawa – Pianist
Believing that the essence of music remains unchanged whether performed with two hands or one, Yasuyo Segawa has dedicated her artistic career to exploring the expressive possibilities of the piano repertoire for the left hand alone. Invited to perform at music festivals and concert series in fourteen countries, she has appeared as a soloist with the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, and the Romanian National Bacău Philharmonic Orchestra. Through her richly expressive performances with the left hand, she continues to captivate audiences in Japan and abroad.
At the age of seventeen, Segawa developed focal hand dystonia in her right hand and began pursuing a career as a left-hand pianist. After graduating from Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, she continued her studies with Prof. Fumi Ikeba at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria. Her admission to the university as the first officially accepted Japanese pianist specializing in the left-hand repertoire was featured in the national edition of The Yomiuri Shimbun.
From 2016 to 2018, she studied under the conductor and pianist Andrea Bonatta at the Talent Music Master Courses in Brescia, Italy, earning a diploma while receiving twelve awards at international piano competitions held across Europe. In 2020, she graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with highest distinction and unanimous honors.
In 2021, she also developed focal hand dystonia in her left hand. Following intensive treatment in Japan and specialized retraining in Germany, she successfully returned to the stage in 2024. Since 2025, she has been an officially registered outreach artist with the Kure Cultural Foundation and the Higashihiroshima Arts & Culture Hall Kurara. From 2026, she has also been appointed as a registered artist for the Kasuga City “Music Treasure Box” cultural program.
In 2026, her appearance at Piano City Milano attracted coverage from major Italian media and local press. Her artistic journey has also been featured in numerous television documentaries, including I Am a Left-Hand Pianist (NHK BS), The Left Hand Exists (Hokuriku Asahi Broadcasting), Living Life (TV Tokyo), and Solo For One Hand (Czech Television).
In November 2026, she is scheduled to perform Korngold’s Suite for Two Violins, Cello and Piano (Left Hand), Op. 23with members of the NHK Symphony Orchestra at the Origami Crane International Peace Music Festival. She has also been invited to present a piano recital at the Kita Topia International Music Festival.
Instagram: @yasuyo.segawa