Alice Sara Ott


Alice Sara Ott is a German-Japanese classical pianist.

Early life and education

Alice Sara Ott was born in Munich, Germany in 1988. Her Japanese mother had studied piano in Tokyo; her father was a German civil engineer. She says she realised as a child that "music was the language that goes much beyond any words" and that she wanted to communicate and express herself through music. She started piano lessons when she was four. At the age of five she reached the final stage of the youth competition in Munich, playing to a full house in the Hercules Hall. She won the Jugend musiziert competition in Germany when she was seven years old. In 2002 she was the youngest finalist at the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition in Japan where she won the Most Promising Artist award. From the age of twelve, she studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling while continuing her school education in Munich. Ott has won awards at a number of piano competitions, including first prize at the 2004 Pianello Val Tidone Competition.
Her younger sister Mona Asuka Ott is also a classical pianist.
In February 2019, she announced on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Career

Ott has made recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and performs regularly concert tours in Europe, Japan and the United States. She won first prize in the 2003 Bach Competition in Köthen, the 2004 Pianello Val Tidone Competition in Italy, and the 4th EPTA International Competition in 2005.

Recordings

Ott has a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon and her recordings include: