Hiroko Sasaki reflects on her international career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. She describes how her musical journey began at age three and how she grew into a world-renowned pianist while balancing life as a mother of two. She also discusses the role of her TM practice in helping her to cultivate inner silence, grow in creativity and focused performance, and maintain balance in a full and demanding life.

Hiroko Sasaki was 13 years old when the celebrated pianist Mitsuko Uchida arranged for her to leave Japan and attend the Yehudi Menuhin School in England. Soon after, she made her European and North American debut. At 16, she entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Leon Fleisher. She later earned a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on full scholarship, as well as an Artist Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada. Her teachers have included Gilbert Kalish and Sophia Rosoff.

Her 2003 debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall prompted critic Harris Goldsmith to declare her “a true artist at work.” Musical America praised her “exquisite proportion and rare poetic understatement,” while The Washington Post acclaimed her “radiant playing.” In 2004, Musical America named her one of the world’s most outstanding young musicians, and in 2019, Fidelio magazine in Hungary compared her to the great Hungarian pianist Annie Fischer.

Hiroko Sasaki … describes how her musical journey began at age three and how she grew into a world-renowned pianist while balancing life as a mother of two.

Ms. Sasaki performs internationally as both a recitalist and chamber musician. She has appeared as a soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Chamber Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic, among others.

Her recording of Debussy’s complete Préludes, released by Piano Classics, received widespread critical acclaim, including a four-star review from The Guardian, which noted that “her phrasing is perfectly polished . . . a beautiful sound Debussy would have recognized.” Japan’s leading classical music magazine, Record Geijutsu, awarded the recording its second-highest honor, praising its refined nuance and vivid imagery. She has also recorded the complete sonatas of Frank Levy for Naxos with cellist Scott Ballantyne.

Christine Albers, host of TM Talks, interviewed Hiroko Sasaki. This interview was aired on April 19, 2026.