The pianist Sayaka Sakurai comes from Gunma Prefecture in Japan. She discovered the piano at the age of three and it soon became her favourite instrument to play. She received lessons from Takako Horie, Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo State University of the Arts, and later studied music at the Tokyo State University of Science and Art, where she received her diploma and master's degree with honours. In 2003, she came to Europe to deepen her knowledge of the classical piano repertoire by studying with Rudolf Buchbinder at the Basel Academy of Music. She also expanded her knowledge of ensemble playing in lessons with Gérard Wyss and Albert Guttman. Following her interest in interpretation on historical instruments, she continued her studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Edoardo Torbianelli, specialising in fortepiano.
Sayaka Sakurai has won prizes in several competitions, including the Concours International Léopold Bellan, Paris, and was a scholarship holder of the Wisdom of the East Foundation. She performs regularly in Europe and Japan. She has been a lecturer at the Basel University of Music since 2011. She is particularly passionate about playing together, communicating through sound and modelling sound spaces together. In addition to the musical aspects of teaching, she is particularly interested in the general human development and well-being of her students.