MS, Graduate School of Agriculture (Kyoto University)
Originally from Kyoto, Japan, Seiji Nakanishi began his music education at the age of four. After many years of studying with Dr. Albert Lotto, Seiji moved to New York to further develop his music career. In New York, he studied with Paul Ostrovsky at Purchase College, SUNY, and performed in masterclasses with internationally recognized musicians including Miyoko Nakaya Lotto, Yuzuko Horigome, Efrem Briskin, Konstantin Lifschitz, Georges Pludermacher, Régis Pasquier, Pavel Nersessian, and numerous others.
As a concert producer, Seiji Nakanishi founded N Music Production in Japan during the COVID period to support musicians and expand the boundaries of classical music. He was awarded a grant from the Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese Government and launched more than 10 projects in major Japanese cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Yamagata. These projects included a distinctive collaboration with Kanji Nakanishi, Seiji’s younger brother and a violinist, featuring works by the Belgian composer Guillaume Lekeu and Eugène Ysaÿe, as well as a unique collaboration between Japanese painting and the Préludes by Olivier Messiaen.
In early 2025, Seiji’s earlier experience as a concert producer in Japan proved fruitful when he was asked to take over a concert project at Carnegie Hall only one month before the concert date. Within a short period of time, the concert became sold out. The program featured a collaboration with acclaimed harpist Mai Fukui, including a duo by Toshi Ichiyanagi, a New York-based Japanese composer. In 2026, he achieved another success by producing a piano trio concert titled “CHORD / CHAOS / CHORD” at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall with violinist Kanji Nakanishi and cellist Pi-Wei Lin.
Besides his unique experience as a concert pianist and producer, Seiji Nakanishi graduated from Kyoto University Graduate School of Agriculture, where he majored in biochemistry. He currently serves as a research associate at Yale School of Medicine, where he conducts genetic research using zebrafish models. Seiji is also an active organist and choral conductor, and currently leads music at First Presbyterian Church in New Haven. Through these diverse paths, Seiji is passionate about guiding young musicians and helping them make music the best lifelong companions in their lives.
