Kanae Hirazawa was born and raised in Japan, and began her musical training in piano at age four. As a high school student, she had the distinct honor of participating in the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music where she worked with pianist Falvai Shandor. Kanae received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2006 from the Tokyo College of Music, where she studied with renowned pianist Yuko Sekine. In 2010 She received her Master of Music in Piano Performance at The University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Dr. Betty Mallard. 

 

She also attended many master classes in America and studied with Claude Frank, Alexander Kobrin, and Ruth Slenczynska. Numerous awards in piano include third prize at the Japan Soloist Competition in 2002. Kanae received the Mary D. Bold Scholarship and the Mary Frances Bowles Couper Endowed Presidential Full Scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin.

 

She performed with The National Symphony Orchestra and The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra for the fund raising event for the Japan Tohoku earthquake held in Washington DC. She also gave a concert in Civiu, Romania.