Japanese YouTuber pianist Cateen pushes limits of classical music

Hayato Sumino's IT background breathes fresh air into conservative genre

20211220sumino

Hayato Sumino recently played a digital piano for a livestreaming event in Tokyo's Shibuya district.

MOTOKI NISHIHARA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Hayato Sumino does not fit the mold of a classical pianist, and he seems to enjoy defying expectations.

Besides playing masterpieces of such classical giants as Chopin and Rachmaninoff in concert halls, dressed in formal attire, Sumino, aka Cateen, at times takes on a more casual persona, performing a dazzling array of musical genres from jazz, to pop, to anime theme music in YouTube videos.

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