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Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka is a German-Japanese pianist, olympic weightlifter and former powerlifter. She was the first of three child prodigies born to Junkichi and Ruth Ishizaka in Bonn, Germany. At the age of 4, she began studying piano with her mother, who would continue to be her teacher until 1995. At that time she became a student of Professor Roswitha Gediga-Glombitza at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. In 2000, she completed her performer’s diploma exam with the highest available marks. Further studies included master-classes with Professor Peter Feuchtwanger, Professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, the Alban Berg Quartet, and the Amadeus Quartet.
From the early age of 5, Kimiko Ishizaka distinguished herself as a soloist and as a chamber performer, especially in the context of the Ishizaka Trio, which consisted of her and her younger brothers, Danjulo Ishizaka and Kiyondo. In its 16 year history, the Ishizaka Trio participated in many important festivals (Schleswig Holstein Musikfestival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Beethovenfest Bonn, Brauschweiger Kammermusikpodium, and the Rheingau Musikfestival), performed concerts in many countries (Japan, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, the USA), and took prizes in many renowned competitions, including: 1st Prize in the 1998 Deutscher Musikwettbewerb (German Music Competition); The Vittorio Gui International Chamber Music Competition; Three consecutive 1st prizes in the International Charles Hennen Competion in The Netherlands; The Menschenskinder prize from RTL (1995)
As a solo pianist, Kimiko Ishizaka performed with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, the Klassische Philharmonie and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra in Michigan. She has produced commercial compact disc recordings with the Rubato, Primavera and Ars Musica recording companies. She is part of the Open Goldberg Variations, a Kickstarter funded, and Bösendorfer sponsored, team that recorded J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) and released the score and recordings into the public domain in May 2012. Upcoming projects include performing the entire J.S. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, Volume I (BWV 846-869), in a single evening.
Kimiko Ishizaka placed 3rd in the weight category < 82 kg in the 2005 German championships in powerlifting and in 2006 she placed 2nd in the disciplines of bench press, squat and deadlift. She then switched to olympic weightlifting. She won three medals at the German championships in olympic weightlifting. In the spring of 2008 she placed fifth in the ELEIKO Women's Grand Prix in Niederöblarn, Austria in the 63 kg class. |
