Misato Hanawa has been shaking up the international classical music scene, earning admiration from concert presenters, conductors, critics, and audiences worldwide.Born in Ibaraki, Japan, she began studying piano at the age of three before transitioning to saxophone at eleven. In addition to her performance career, she has studied composition and continues to arrange music for saxophone and piano.Praised for her “brilliance and maturity,” Hanawa is a sought-after recitalist and festival performer, appearing in prestigious venues such as Japan’s Symphony Hall, Tokyo Opera City (B→C Artist Recital Series), Wiener Musikverein, Ariel Opera House, Mito Art Tower, and Carnegie Hall in New York. She is also frequently invited to give masterclasses and has taught them to a wide range of students in places like Granada, Cáceres, Pittsburgh, Sam Houston, Seoul, Columbus, Youngstown, Frostburg, Fairmont, Las Palmas, and Gallipolis.As a soloist, Hanawa has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Israel Soloist Orchestra, Japan Century Orchestra, Cairo Opera House Orchestra, Busan Orchestra, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
Her repertoire spans from Baroque masterpieces to contemporary works, and she regularly performs Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto and Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso in their saxophone arrangements.Hanawa graduated with a first-prize gold medal from the Conservatoire de Cergy-Pontoise and the Conservatoire de Cambrai in 2011. She has won numerous international competitions, including the Leopold Bellan International Music Competition (France), the World Music Competition (Spain), the U.F.A.M. International Music Competition (France), the International North Music Competition (Sweden), the Medici International Music Competition (Italy), the Moscow International Music Competition (Russia), and the Ginastera International Music Competition (Japan).
Her discography includes three recordings: Hommage à Edith Piaf and Rondo Capriccioso (Octavia Records) and How Fair This Spot (Adora Music).Hanawa is a performing artist for BG France, Vandoren Paris, and Selmer Paris.
