Saturday, 14 June 2025, 7:00pm
Venue: Phuket School of Music Recital Studio

Programme
FRÜHLINGSSTIMMEN – J. Strauss II
Siete Canciones Popolare Españolas – M. de Falla 
El paño moruno, Nana, Canción
Habanera (from Carmen) – G. Bizet
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op.22 – F.Chopin
O mio babbino caro (from Gianni Schicchi) – G. Puccini
The Queen of the Night Aira (Die Zauberflöte) – W.A. Mozart
Always with me (Spirited Away) – J. Hisaishi
Carrying You（Laputa: Castle in the Sky) – J. Hisaishi
Think of Me (The Phantom of the Opera) – A. L. Webber
I Could Have Danced All Night (My Fair Lady) – F. Loewe
O Sole Mio – E. Di. Capua
Amazing Grace – Unknown 
 Michi Teyu Ku – Fujii Kaze
Time to Say Goodbye- F. Sartori

Ayaka Tsuchida, soprano
Sim Yi Kai, piano

Ticket: 800 Baht 
For inquiries, Text Line ID: phuket-music 
WhatsApp: +66931019051 
Email: info@mav-festival.com

Artists Profile:

Ayaka Tsuchida
Born in Saitama, Japan, soprano Ayaka Tsuchida enchants audiences across the globe with her radiant voice and expressive artistry. A graduate of the esteemed Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, she moved to Italy in 2018 to immerse herself in the heart of the operatic tradition. She pursued advanced vocal studies at the Conservatorio di Novara, earned a Master’s degree from the Conservatorio di Piacenza, and later completed her Doctorate at the Conservatorio di Milano—affirming her status as a refined and accomplished classical vocalist.

Ayaka was awarded First Prize at the Civita Castellana International Music Competition. Her performances, marked by both technical finesse and expressive depth, have been featured multiple times in Libertà, one of northern Italy’s leading newspapers, through reviews and interviews. She has portrayed numerous leading roles, including Norina in Don Pasquale and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and has been praised for her supple vocal range and deep musical sensitivity.

As a member of the Piacenza Opera, Ayaka performs regularly in concerts, opera productions, and official ceremonies. In her native Japan, she is also recognized for her appearances in national events, including performances of the Japanese national anthem. Now based between Milan and Singapore, Ayaka continues to share the timeless beauty of opera with international audiences, leaving a lasting impression through her grace, passion, and musical sophistication.’

Sim Yi Kai
“Yi Kai Sim, a pianist from Singapore, is among only nine rising musicians chosen from a national search to take part in the 2013 Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar. The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar provides a venue for emerging professional singers and collaborative pianists to hone their love of art song and the collaborative experience, led by Metropolitan Opera star Stephanie Blythe and composer-pianist Alan Smith.” − The Watertown Daily Times, New York

Described by Alexey Sokolov as “a deep and sensitive musician with a noble, delicate tone quality”, Singaporean pianist Yi Kai Sim was unanimously awarded the Second Prize in the Open Category at the 2006 International IBLA Piano Competition by an international panel of professors from Russia, Italy and Japan.
As a student of Ong Lip Tat and Lena Ching, Yi Kai received the NAFA scholarship and a Bachelor degree in Piano Performance from the University of Wales. Graduate fellowships paved the way to a Masters in Music degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In a highly specialized field, he studied both collaborative piano and solo piano under acclaimed pianists Robert Koenig and Paul Berkowitz.

After a competitive nationwide audition at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Centre, Yi Kai was invited as an artist for the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar in New York, concertizing and working with renowned mezzo soprano Stephanie Blythe and pianist-composer Alan Smith. As an opera répétiteur, he took on the triple role of assistant conductor, vocal coach and continuo harpsichordist in the entire production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in California.
As a collaborative pianist, Yi Kai has performed in a series of chamber recitals with international prize-winning soloists such as Lim Yan, Edward Tan, Hidehiro Fujita, Jacek Mirucki and Pascal Saloman. He has collaborated with contemporary music ensembles in Los Angeles, performing Sebastian Currier’s Whispers and frequently premiering the works of contemporary composer Joel Feigin, who counts Nadia Boulanger as his mentor.

Now based in Singapore, Yi Kai has collaborated in two sold-out recitals at the Esplanade with prize- winning Yale violinist and concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Music Makers, Edward Tan. Their dynamic partnership was described as “equal, with both opportunities for each to shine” by the Straits Times newspaper.

His ongoing piano duo series with Lim Yan has been hailed as “intrepid” and “risk-taking” by the local press.

Yi Kai was invited as a guest artiste with musicians Jacek Mirucki and Hidehiro Fujita in a joint chamber concert for the Japan Tsunami disaster.

An advocate of the classical arts amongst the local community, he pledges to make his artistry relevant to the music culture in Singapore and promote local composers in upcoming solo and chamber recitals in Japan and China.