Biography
Emerging Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino first drew worldwide attention through his appearances at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, where his interpretations of Chopin stood out, and he has also established himself as a composer. His skill at sharing his music via digital platforms has attracted millions of subscribers to his YouTube channel. Several albums have appeared under his name, among them the 2024 Sony Classical release Human Universe, marking his debut on that label.
Born in Yachiyo within Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo, Sumino started piano instruction under his mother at age three, later working with Katsuko Kaneko and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Jean-Marc Luisada through online lessons. At the same time he pursued engineering studies at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology in Tokyo, completing a master’s degree there. He bridged these fields during a six-month residency at the IRCAM Institute in Paris, focusing on artificial intelligence and music information processing technology. In 2018 he captured the grand prize at Japan’s PTNA piano competition, and the next year he earned third prize at the Lyon International Piano Competition. The PTNA victory included the chance to record the album Passion, subsequently released by Warner Classics. His profile rose sharply after reaching the semi-final round of the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2021, an event that drew a record 45,000 online viewers.
This exposure fueled ongoing digital growth, with roughly 1.3 million YouTube subscribers by late 2024 (1.5 million across social media) under the handle Cateen. Sumino has appeared throughout Japan, Europe, and North America as soloist with the Hamburg Symphony, the Polish National Radio Symphony, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Marin Alsop during an eleven-city tour, and several prominent Japanese orchestras. The 2024–2025 season brought debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival along with engagements at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland. On the Sony Classical roster he issued his first album, the recital Human Universe, featuring numerous original works alongside pieces by Purcell, Fauré, Ravel, Chopin, Debussy, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Myra Hess.
Born in Yachiyo within Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo, Sumino started piano instruction under his mother at age three, later working with Katsuko Kaneko and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Jean-Marc Luisada through online lessons. At the same time he pursued engineering studies at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology in Tokyo, completing a master’s degree there. He bridged these fields during a six-month residency at the IRCAM Institute in Paris, focusing on artificial intelligence and music information processing technology. In 2018 he captured the grand prize at Japan’s PTNA piano competition, and the next year he earned third prize at the Lyon International Piano Competition. The PTNA victory included the chance to record the album Passion, subsequently released by Warner Classics. His profile rose sharply after reaching the semi-final round of the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2021, an event that drew a record 45,000 online viewers.
This exposure fueled ongoing digital growth, with roughly 1.3 million YouTube subscribers by late 2024 (1.5 million across social media) under the handle Cateen. Sumino has appeared throughout Japan, Europe, and North America as soloist with the Hamburg Symphony, the Polish National Radio Symphony, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Marin Alsop during an eleven-city tour, and several prominent Japanese orchestras. The 2024–2025 season brought debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival along with engagements at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland. On the Sony Classical roster he issued his first album, the recital Human Universe, featuring numerous original works alongside pieces by Purcell, Fauré, Ravel, Chopin, Debussy, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Myra Hess.
Albums
Chopin Orbit
2026
Human Universe
2024
First Line (Original Motion Picture Score)
2024
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
2022
HAYATOSM
2020
Passion
2019
Singles
