Cafetalk Children's Piano Competition 2024

We want to create a borderless space to present and compete,
for children who take piano lessons online.

Send in a video

The Cafetalk Children's Piano Competition is an online competition for elementary school students who enjoy and learn piano through Cafetalk's online piano lessons.

renowned tutors review it

Three renowned pianists active in Japan and around the world will participate as judges. They will review video clips of the participants' performances and send their comments, so this piano competition is open to participants from anywhere in the world.

and the winners are announced!

The top winners will receive a certificate and a commemorative gift and will be announced in a press release.

Dear parents ♪

Please take this chance to support your child's motivation!
They can feel the joy of working toward their goals and the pleasure of receiving recognition from renowned tutors, who are active as professionals in Japan and abroad.
We look forward to your entry!

Children who have not taken lessons on Cafetalk yet can also participate. ♪

Children who normally study in a classroom can still participate in Cafetalk's Children's Piano Competition. This is a chance to have a well-known pianist critique their work. You are required to register a free student account in order to enter.
(You do not have to take lessons to enter)

Introduction of Judges (in alphabetical order)

Rina Sudo Cafetalk name: Riny

Reside in Poland. Graduated from Showa University of Music, the Performance II Course. Performed Mozart’s concerto with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, which at the time Naozumi Yamamoto conducted, at the age of 6. Received worldwide recognition by performing and winning prizes at major national and international competitions from a young age. Prize received: the first prize in the 6th Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists, Category A (Germany); the Silver Prize, the Prince Prize, and more at the 26th PTNA Piano Competition, National and Final, Class G (Japan); the First Prize at the Yasuko Fukuda Scholarship Audition; the 5th prize at the 5th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (Japan); the 5th prize at the 7th Dublin International Piano Competition (Ireland), the youngest and the highest ranked winner as a Japanese pianist; the third prize at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (USA); The third Prize at I Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition (Poland); Performed at International Chopin Piano Competition in 2010 and 2015 (Poland); and more. Orchestras performed with: the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cracow Royal Chamber Orchestra (Poland), and more. Performed in concerts and solo recitals in Italy, New Zealand, Poland, France, and Japan. Other Prize and Membership: Utsunomiya Cultural Awards (宇都宮市市民賞、宇都宮市長特別賞), Kawasaki Cultural Award (川崎市アゼリア輝賞), Member of Japan Federation of Musicians, and more.

Karin Tamura Cafetalk name: Karin piano

I was born in the Hyogo Prefecture and started playing the piano at the age of five. After graduating from Nishinomiya High School of Music, I studied at Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in piano. After graduating from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, I studied at the Karol Szymanowski Conservatory in Katowice, Poland. I’ve studied piano with Yasuko Yamaoka, Mayumi Yamaoka, Yoshiko Imaoka, Chiharu Sakai and Magdalena Lisak. I also studied duo-piano with Johanna Gallon-Flant.
Competition Gold Prize at the 25th Raionkai Piano Competition. ed for the 63rd Junior High School Division and the 66th High School Division of the All Japan Student Music Competition, Osaka. Won the 3rd prize at the 22nd Japan Classical Music Competition, and performed with an orchestra at the prize winners' memorial concert. Awarded the Encouragement Prize in the High School Division of the 11th Takarazuka Vega Student Piano Competition. The 1st Neyagawa City Arca Piano Competition for High School Students, 2nd Prize. The 14th Rosenstock International Piano Competition, 4th Prize. The 32nd Settsu Music Festival Little Camellia Competition Encouragement Prize. Ise-Shima International Piano Competition 2019, Encouragement Prize. The 21st China Music Competition, Gold Prize.

Nao Mieno Cafetalk name: Mieno Nao

After graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, I moved on to the master's course at the graduate school of the same university and then the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. I'm the 2017 special grade silver medalist of Japan's largest scale piano competition, the PTNA Piano Competition. Also, in 2015 I obtained a diploma from the International Chopin Piano Competition, one of the top 3 piano competitions in the world. I also have top-level awards from the Chopin Piano Competition in Asia (gold medal in the senior high school category, silver in the concierto category,and delegate category finalist). Aside from these I've placed highly in other competitions and performed in countless recitals. I'd like to share with you all the experience I've cultivated over the years. I specialize in classical but can adapt to other genres as well. Become good at what you like! I will do my very best to support everyone in becoming able to play the music they want to!

Entry Method

Please fill out the form below to enter and we will send you the link for the application within 24 hours.

After submitting your application (and payment), please take a video of your performance, upload it to Youtube under the "unlisted" setting and send us the video link by the method instructed in the application.

Judging Method

The jury consists of three pianists who offer lessons at Cafetalk

Technical aspect: Scored on a 50-point scale based on the skills acquired,
taking into account age and length of practice.
Artistic aspect: Scored on a 50-point scale based on passion for performance, expressiveness, musicality, interpretation of the piece, future potential, and degree of perfection.

Between the three judges, the highest and lowest scores will be removed
and the medium score will be used.

You will definitely get a review from the judges ♫

The renowned tutors will prepare a review for each and every participant.
We hope this will be a message that becomes an encouragement for future piano practice.

Announcements and Awards

The results will be announced on February 19, 2024 (Thu) in a special Cafetalk page.

The videos of the top winners' performances will be streamed as a Cafetalk Online Concert.

The videos of the top winners will be publicly streamed at the Spring 2024 Online Concert.

Cafetalk Children's Piano Competition 2024 Overview

Entry Period	October 2, 2023 onwards
Video Submission Period	January 5, 2024 - January 31, 2024 23:59 (JST)
Judging Period	February 1 - 15, 2024
Announcement	February 19, 2024
Announcement Method	On the Cafetalk website, various social media, press releases.
Eligibility criteria	Children born between 2016 and 2011 (equivalent to Japanese elementary school student age) who are learning piano. Those who have not taken a lesson on Cafetalk yet may also participate.
Participation fee	5,000 points
Number of participants	Up to 20 people on a first-come, first-served basis

Guide to creating your video submission

Official Help: Upload YouTube videos
(opens a page outside Cafetalk)

Please create your video with the "unlisted" visibility setting and send the video URL to Cafetalk.
More information will be sent to you after your entry.

Prizes

1st place: Certificate, Cafetalk original T-shirt

2nd place: Certificate, Cafetalk original T-shirt

3rd place: Certificate, Cafetalk original eco-bag

Participation prize: 500 yen "NEXT" library card

*Certificates and original merch will be delivered by mail (also to overseas).

Cafetalk Children's Piano Competition 2024 Application Guidelines

*Please be sure to read this before entering.

About the Entry

A name (nicknames are acceptable) and a portrait photo must be submitted. Participants' names and portraits will be published on the website.
Children who are just beginning to play the piano are also welcome to join.

About Payment

After submitting the entry form, we will send payment instructions to your Cafetalk registered e-mail address.

Please follow the instructions and pay 5,000 points (5,500 yen tax included). Cafetalk points can be purchased by credit card, bank transfer, Paypal, or Rakuten Pay.

Please be aware that in case of a cancellation after payment, the points will not be refunded. Thank you for understanding.

About the Video Submission

Please film the video after the date of your entry. Videos recorded in the past cannot be submitted. *You may only submit your recording once. Re-submission is not allowed.

2 to 5 minutes in length, classical music only, any piece can be performed. Performances that significantly exceed the length of the piece or are different from the piece declared at the time of entry are not allowed. *Excerpts from songs, movements, suites, and variations, as well as combinations of multiple songs are possible. *Non-published music, compositions of your own, and special techniques (placing something on the piano strings, hitting the body of the piano, etc.) are not allowed.

Any type of piano can be used, including electronic, upright, and grand pianos.

In addition to your home, you may also submit footage shot in a studio or other location.

You do not have to memorize the music score. It does not affect your score during judging.

The video can be taken with a smart phone. Please make sure that the screen is facing sideways and is fixed so that the hands, face, and entire body (down to the feet) can be clearly seen.

About the Judges

The jury consists of three pianists who offer lessons at Cafetalk.

About the Judging Method

Score out of 100 (technical + artistic).The highest and lowest scores are removed and the medium score will be used.

Certificate of Commendation, Prizes, etc.

1st, and 2nd place winners will receive a certificate and a Cafetalk original design T-shirt (size can be chosen), 3rd place winners will receive a certificate and a Cafetalk original eco-bag by mail. (also to overseas).
All contest participants will receive the judges' comments in PDF format by e-mail. In addition, a "NEXT" library card worth 500 yen will be given as a participation prize.

Entry