About
Marcel Tadokoro was born in Fukuoka, Japan, into a “literary family:” neither his French mother nor Japanese father are musicians. But he studied piano and had the opportunity to give a small public concert when he was 8; he says that was the moment he “immediately understood this would be my life.”
After graduating from high school in Nagoya, he moved to Paris at the age of 18 to pursue his dream. He earned his artist diploma from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris with Olivier Gardon (2013), and his master’s degree from the Conservatoire National Supérieure de Paris under the guidance of Jean-François Heisser and Florent Boffard (2017). It was when he met Rena Shereshevskaya eight years ago, with whom he currently studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris “Alfred Cortot” as a scholarship student, that he has focused on major competitions and performance opportunities.
Marcel is a prizewinner of competitions in France, Russia, Germany, Panama, Austria, and Japan, and last year made strong appearances in both the Queen Elisabeth (semifinalist) and Montreal (finalist) Competitions. His orchestral debut took place in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, where he performed with the Chamber Music Ensemble of the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra during a concert in honor of the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth. He made his formal recital debut four years later in Nice, France. He has since performed with the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, National Philharmonic of Ukraine, and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, and makes frequent recital appearances across France and in Belgium.
Competition Repertoire
Preliminary Round
- HOUGH Fanfare Toccata
- RAMEAU “Musette en rondeau” from Suite in E Minor, RCT 2
- BEETHOVEN Six Variations on an Original Theme in F Major, op. 34
- LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 5 “Feux follets”
- STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka
Quarterfinal Round
- COUPERIN La visionnaire
- SZYMANOWSKI Variations in B-flat Minor, op. 3
- RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit
Semifinal Round - Recital
- RAMEAU “Le Rappel des Oiseaux” from Suite in E Minor, RCT 2
- SCRIABIN Three Etudes, op. 65
- RACHMANINOV Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42
- DEBUSSY Nocturne
- BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Books I and II
Semifinal Round - Mozart Concerto
- MOZART Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595
Final Round - Concerto 1
- BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15
Final Round - Concerto 2
- PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, op. 26
Meet Marcel
Performance Videos
Preliminary Round
RAMEAU “Musette en rondeau” from Suite in E Minor, RCT 2
BEETHOVEN Six Variations on an Original Theme in F Major, op. 34
LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 5 “Feux follets”
STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka
Quarterfinal Round
SZYMANOWSKI Variations in B-flat Minor, op. 3
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit
Semifinal Round – Recital
SCRIABIN Three Etudes, op. 65
RACHMANINOV Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42
DEBUSSY Nocturne
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Books I and II
Semifinal Round – Mozart concerto
Relive the 2022 Competition
Own the 30 live recordings of each competitor’s Preliminary Round performance of Sir Stephen Hough’s Fanfare Toccata.