Rieko Makita
BIOGRAPHY
PIANIST & COMPOSER
CLASSICAL • CONTEMPORARY • JAZZ • AMBIENT
Photo: Victor von Krasowski
PIANIST-COMPOSER BIO
Rieko Makita is a Japanese-Australian pianist & composer based in London. Her work explores migration, belonging and memory through composition, performance and immersive storytelling. Praised for her “deeply personal musical voice” (Asian Tones) and distinctive “piano artistry” (ClassikON), she has performed internationally, in Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall and on BBC Radio 3.
In 2026, she was awarded the PRS Foundation’s Open Fund to record her debut EP ‘Where is Home?’ — a project shaped by her experiences across Australia, Japan, and the UK, and a search for home in an increasingly interconnected world. Her music showcases her versatility as a musician at the intersection of classical, jazz and ambient music.
Her upcoming projects include collaboration with Koshun Nakao, accumulating in a live show at SJQ London in September 2026 and EP Launch Show with lighting design at St James' Sussex Gardens in October 2026.
CLASSICAL PIANIST BIO
Rieko Makita is a Japanese Australian pianist and composer who has been praised for her “opalescent subtlety… and vibrant colours” (The Arts Desk) and distinctive “piano artistry” (ClassikON) in performances. She has performed internationally, including a sold-out debut at the Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room), Sinfonia Smith Square and the Sydney Opera House, and has appeared live on BBC Radio 3.
In 2023-2024, Rieko was appointed as the Constant & Kit Lambert Fellow at the Royal College of Music (RCM). She holds a Master of Performance with Distinction and Artist Diploma of Performance from RCM. She was the Philharmonia Orchestra Piano Fellow in 2021-2022 and currently a Young Artist with the Musicians’ Company.
In 2025, she has produced and presented the ‘Immersive Night Music Show’, an immersive multimedia performance involving music, sound and visuals, at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, funded by the RCM Accelerate Award. The show was commended for containing “many enticing elements... it will be intriguing to see what inspires her next” (The Arts Desk). Her work continues to develop at the intersection of composition, live performance, technology and storytelling.
SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS
IMMERSIVE NIGHT MUSIC SHOW
Artistic Director and Performer of digital art and music show as part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe, funded by Accelerate Award.
'Many enticing elements... it will be intriguing to see what inspires her next.” (The Arts Desk)
2025
LIGHT WITHIN DARKNESS
Digital art and music show presented at the Anniversary Event of Royal College of Music's Creative Careers Centre, at Britten Theatre
2025
NIGHT & REFLECTIONS
Solo Recital at Tempo Rubato, Melbourne
“(Rieko) clearly revels in these dramatic, virtuoso pieces, with scales, glissandi, crossed hands, repeated thirds and the like: all comfortably in her bag of tricks.” (ClassikON)
2026