Momoka Chiba was born in Yokohama, Japan. She started studying the piano at the age of five.  She currently studies under the guidance of Prof. Michiko Okamoto, and is also a scholarship student of the Toho-Gakuen School of Music for Children.

Momoka has won numerous top awards at piano competitions internationally, including 1st Prize at the 2nd All Japan Beethoven Competition (2012).  She was the youngest ever to win the Audience Award at the 66th Student Music Concours of Japan (2012).  Additionally, Momoka won the Gold Prize at the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in ASIA (Japan 2013), 1st Prize and a special “Most Promising Young Talent Award” in the Junior category at the 15th San Jose International Piano Competition (California 2014), 1st Prize at the 8th Elena Ricther International Piano Competition (Japan 2015), 1st Prize in the Junior category at the Golden Key Music International Debut Competition (New York 2016), and 1st Prize in the “Piano Talents” Category at the 1st Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition (Poland 2016).

She made her orchestral concert debut at the age of 10. As a soloist, she has performed in concert with both the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and the Yokohama Philharmonic Orchestra (2013). As a result of her 1^st Prize at the Golden Key Music International Debut Competition, she made her debut performance in New York at Carnegie`s Weill Recital Hall in June 2016.  Momoka also performed at the Chopin International Festival in Busko-Zdroj, Poland in July 2016.

Repertoire

Round I

Scarlatti                                                Sonata in G major, K. 427

Chopin                                                 Étude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11

Schumann                                          Fantsiestücke, Op. 12, No. 1 Des Abends in D-flat major

Schumann                                          Fantsiestücke, Op. 12, No. 2 Aufschwung in F minor

Schumann                                          Fantsiestücke, Op. 12, No. 7 Traumes Wirren in F major

Prokofiev                                            Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28

Round II

Mozart                                                Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310

Chopin                                                Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20

Kapustin                                             Eight Concert Études, Op. 40, No. 8 Finale in F minor

Round III

Grieg                                                     Concerto in A minor, Op. 16