Japanese pianist and composer Hayato Sumino, also known as ‘Cateen’, is emerging as the new star of the piano world.
He began playing piano aged three and began his full-fledged musical career at the prestigious PTNA Piano Competition, which he won while he was a graduate student, studying science and engineering at the University of Tokyo.
In 2021, Sumino gained international attention as a semi-finalist in the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, where he set a record for the number of online viewers for a live performance and created quite a following for his unique musicianship.
Sumino also writes, arranges, and streams his own music on YouTube under the name ‘Cateen’, amassing over 1.2 million subscribers and 160 million views.
In April 2024 he made his Classic FM Live and Royal Albert Hall debut with a creative and inspired performance of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, with footage of the sensational performance quickly going viral afterwards.
