Rieko Yoshizumi was born in Oita on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. She received her first piano lessons at the age of four. After attending the Tokyo State High School of Music ("Geiko"), she studied piano (with Akiko Iguchi) and music education at the Tokyo State High School of Art and Music ("Geidai").
Her versatility and openness were already evident during her studies: she learned the harpsichord as a further instrument, she was in great demand as a song accompanist and performed as a lead singer in a rock/pop band. Postgraduate studies took Rieko Yoshizumi to Germany, where she completed her piano studies with Friedrich Wilhelm Schnurr at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, graduating with a concert exam in the soloist class. She received further important impulses from Roberto Szidon.
As a soloist she has performed with various orchestras, including the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra Reutlingen, the Berlin Virtuosi and the Detmold Soloists, in Europe, Japan and Peru. In addition to her numerous solo recitals and solo concerts with orchestras, Rieko Yoshizumi cultivates a love of chamber music.
As a founding member of the Trio Tre Mondi, the Duo Avad and as a chamber music partner of other ensembles, she has made numerous radio productions and recordings as well as CD productions. The world premiere recording of Jenö Takács' Trio Rhapsody op. 11 received outstanding reviews, as did her GENUIN debut CD.
Rieko Yoshizumi's concert activities include invitations to renowned concert series and festivals in Europe, Asia, South America and Lebanon. Her interpretations captivate with their sensitive, imaginative and at the same time clearly structured, powerfully impulsive style of playing.
Rieko Yoshizumi first taught at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and since 1994 at the Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden. There she was appointed honorary professor in 2000. She gives master classes for piano and chamber music in Spain, Japan and Peru and is regularly invited as a juror to the international piano competition in the Czech Republic.