Naoko Christ-Kato

was born in Yokohama, Japan, and studied piano in Tokyo, Hanover with Prof. Konrad Meister, and Lübeck with Prof. Manfred Fock, where she graduated with an artistic concert exam. She is a prizewinner of the "Young Artist Piano Contest" and the "Best Players Contest" in Japan. In 2004, she premiered the piece "Invention & Etude" by the American composer Michael Tenzer (*1957), and in 2009, she recorded Tenzer's work "Let Others Name You" on CD. In 2015, she founded the Gernsheim Duo with soprano Anna Gann. Since then, she has continued to work on the discovery and performance of works by forgotten and persecuted Jewish composers. In 2019, the duo's first CD, "Verborgene Schätze," was released on GENUIN, featuring 22 piano songs as world premiere recordings by Friedrich Gernsheim. Concerts have taken the ensemble as far afield as Japan. In 2023, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK and NHK World broadcast a report on the duo's commitment to forgotten Jewish composers. Articles have also appeared in various print media and radio broadcasts in Germany and Japan. She maintains a lively concert schedule as a soloist, as a partner in song recitals, in chamber music ensembles, and in projects with artists. In 2024, she premiered the suite "Waldminiaturen" by the American composer Stanley Grill (*1953), which was composed for her. Her CD "In the Forest" was released in November 2024. Naoko Christ-Kato holds scholarships from the German Music Council (2022) and the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Thuringia (2025).