Takeshi Oi

Biography

Takeshi Oi is a Japanese pianist whose work is rooted in classical music and moves freely across genres in a crossover style of his own.

He began playing the piano at the age of three and spent his childhood in Germany and England, where he studied directly with a descendant of the composer Mendelssohn. He won first prize and other awards at competitions including the Worthing Music Festival and the Reigate & Redhill Music Festival, and at thirteen performed a Bach piano concerto with orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

After returning to Japan he graduated from the piano course of Kunitachi College of Music. He began his professional career as the exclusive pianist of the opera unit "LEGEND". In 2011 he formed the piano duo "Kenbandanshi" with a composer, which made its major-label debut on Warner Classics Japan in 2017 and toured nationwide.

As a soloist he made his major-label debut in 2015 with the album "Piano Love" (King Records). "Piano Love II" (2017) reached No. 1 on the Billboard Japan classical chart. He has appeared in a television commercial for the Sony "Xperia" smartphone and as the image model for the KAWAI hybrid piano "NOVUS". In 2020 he published his first book, "Piano man" (Shueisha), followed by the album "reBUILD" in 2021.

In 2025 he made his Asian debut with a sold-out recital at Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore, and marked the tenth anniversary of his solo major-label debut with a nationwide tour of Japan. In 2026 he toured Japan with "Afterform", formed the trio "ThreeShades", and joined "PIANO CLOVER", a project produced by pianist Takuma Ishii.

Alongside concerts he is active in stage, television, commercials, writing, teaching and collaborations with other artists. He is a full member of PTNA (The Piano Teachers' National Association of Japan) and an ambassador of the Japan Service Dog Association.