Kanae Iwasaki

Kanae Iwasaki

Born in 1993. Lives in Nerima Ward, Tokyo. Cerebral palsy due to the aftereffects of premature birth. After graduating from Kunitachi Music Academy, she has been attending a welfare workshop.She began piano lessons in the first grade of elementary school. At first she played a duet with her older sister and now plays with her mother. After performing at the United Nations and Carnegie Hall in New York in 2007, she has performed throughout Japan and in Taiwan, Canada, Austria, the U.S., and Mexico.She received the JASRAC Music Culture Award in 2014, released a solo mini album "A Single Flower" in 2018, and in June 2021, joined the Special Needs Talent Showcase in the U.S. on zoom with autistic Satoshi Yamashita, winning the Top 3 award. In August of the same year, she played the keyboard at the Tokyo Paralympics Opening Ceremony as a member of Para Ensemble, and was awarded Taiwan's 25th "Fervent Global Love of Lives" in 2022.She also began learning to play the electric organ in 2014, and is now challenging herself to play with both hands.Her dream is to show people around the world that they can enjoy playing the piano even if they have severe disabilities.