Described as ‘masterful’, ‘positively ecstatic’ and ‘profoundly moving, subtle and exuberant’, the KIAZMA Piano Duo has established itself as one of Australia's most dynamic ensembles. Equally at home in solo, two-piano and four-hand repertoire from the baroque to the present day, KIAZMA is passionate about sharing the riches of the existing repertoire, developing the art form through the KIAZMA commissioning project, and creating concert experiences that explore new ways of listening to and engaging with music.

The duo's first CD, 'Five Rocks in a Japanese Garden', features first recordings of works by five of Japan’s foremost contemporary composers. KIAZMA has presented concert series at the Melbourne Recital Centre since 2016 and has undertaken ambitious projects such as a reimagining of J.S. Bach’s 'The Art of Fugue' and a new interdisciplinary work 'One Space One'.

Members of the teaching faculty at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University, Aura Go and Tomoe Kawabata mentor young pianists in piano and creative collaboration. The newly established KIAZMA Mentoring Program offers young pianists opportunities to engage in side-by-side professional development in rehearsal, creative development, curation and performance.

As well as being highly regarded for her outstanding interpretations of the traditional classical repertoire, pianist Tomoe Kawabata has become a leading figure in the performance of contemporary Japanese music, through her extensive international performances and research. She has performed the solo and chamber works of Japanese composers including Tōru Takemitsu, Akio Yashiro, Akira Miyoshi, Tomojirō Ikenouchi, Hisatada Otaka, Shin-ichirō Ikebe and Yoshio Hachimura. Tomoe received her PhD from the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide, where her artistic research investigated the performance of Akira Miyoshi’s piano music, with regard to his unique approach to musical drama.

Tomoe completed her early musical studies in Japan, attaining her Master of Music degree from the Tokyo College of Music before moving to Australia in 2002. She has maintained an active international performing career, with frequent appearances in concerts and festivals in Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan. In addition to being a sought-after recitalist and chamber musician, Tomoe has performed many concertos with such orchestras as the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Targu Mures State Philharmonic Orchestra, Sibiu Symphony Orchestra, “Dinu Lipatti” Philharmonic Orchestra and Oradea State Philharmony in Europe. She has given acclaimed performances of piano concertos by Chopin, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Khachaturian across Europe. Tomoe is on the piano teaching faculty of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Performance, Monash University, where she teaches piano and piano duo.

Aura Go is an Australian pianist whose practice encompasses performance, collaboration, curation, education and artistic research. Her curiosity and versatility have taken her across the globe, working as a soloist in concertos from Bach to Gubaidulina, as a recitalist, chamber musician and cross-disciplinary collaborator. She regularly collaborates with composers and is an advocate for new and underrepresented music.

With pianist Tomoe Kawabata, Aura is a member of the acclaimed KIAZMA Piano Duo. Their CD Five Rocks in a Japanese Garden features first recordings of four-hand and two-piano works by significant Japanese composers. Other projects include a reimagining of JS Bach’s The Art of Fugue, a new interdisciplinary work One Space One, and the commissioning of new work, most recently Holly Harrison’s Crunch (2021). Aura also enjoys regular collaboration with cellist Timo-Veikko Valve (Australian Chamber Orchestra), with whom she has curated and presented recitals across Australia. Recently, Aura took a leading role as pianist-actor in stage adaptation of Paul Kildea's book 'Chopin's Piano', which toured nationally for Musica Viva in 2023. Aura has performed at international music festivals, most notably the Edinburgh Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and PianoEspoo.

Aura is currently Head of Piano at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University. A passionate educator, she has been visiting artist at the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas (USA), the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus (Denmark) and the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz (Poland). She has taught piano at Yale College (USA) and the Sibelius Academy (Finland). She has coached chamber music at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the Australian Youth Orchestra. Following studies at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian National Academy of Music, Aura completed her Master of Music at the Yale School of Music. She attained her doctorate from the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, where her artistic research explored embodied imagination, creativity, and collaboration in music performance. Read more at www.aurago.net