Praised for her “emotional warmth and celestial lyricism” (Elena Vorotko, Keyboard Charitable Trust) pianist Ayane Nakajima enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician. Active across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany, she has appeared in major venues such as Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the New World Center. ​
Ayane’s concert highlights include performances at Klavier Festival Bayreuth, Minnesota Orchestra’s Summer at Orchestra Hall, Lake District Summer Music, and the London Song Festival. The 2025/2026 season features her professional concerto debut with the San Gabriel Valley Symphony for a performance of George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, a solo debut on BBC Radio 3, and a summer spent as a 2026 Marlboro Music Festival Artist.
She is a prizewinner of competitions including Pianale, YoungArts, the International Keyboard Odyssiad, and Young Texas Artists. Additional accolades include her nomination as a 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholar, the 2023 Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts from Rice University, and the 2024 Royal College of Music Concerto Competition. Additionally, she has participated in masterclasses with renowned artists such as Jeremy Denk, Dina Yoffe, Akiko Ebi, Uta Weyand, Ronan O'Hora, Caroline Hong, Elena Levit, and Marina Lomazov.
A devoted song pianist and chamber musician, she has won the top prize at the Young Musicians’ Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center competition, as well as pianist prizes at the AESS Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition and the RCM Brooks Van der Pump Competition. Most recently, she was a finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards as duo partner to first prize-winning mezzo-soprano, Lily Mo Browne.
Growing up in New York City, Ayane began her piano journey at the age of three under the mentorship of Chaim Freiberg at the Kaufman Music Center. From ages six to seventeen, she studied with Dr. Hiromi Fukuda and graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. She received her Bachelor of Music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas, under Dr. Jon Kimura Parker and graduated with distinction from her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music, studying with Danny Driver.
She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she is a student of Ronan O’Hora, Charles Owen, and Bretton Brown. Through her artistry, she strives to bring people together, curating meaningful and colorful performances. In addition to her classical work, she also enjoys collaborating in musical theatre, jazz, and film music.