TOKYO, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announces that the digital sound source created through Casio’s “Akiko’s Piano” Digital Instrument Sound Project, managed by its European subsidiary CASIO Europe GmbH, made its European premiere at the Martha Argerich Festival 2026, an internationally renowned classical music festival held in Hamburg, Germany, from June 20 to June 30, 2026.
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Akiko’s Piano is a historic upright piano built in 1926 that was damaged by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Following its restoration in 2005, it has been performed by many musicians, including Martha Argerich, and has continued to carry a message of peace through its sound.
To carry this historic sound into the future, Casio has been advancing the “Akiko’s Piano” Digital Instrument Sound Project, carefully recording the sound of each of the piano’s 88 keys and reconstructing it as a digital sound source.
During the festival, CASIO presented a dedicated CASIO CELVIANO booth at Laeiszhalle, the festival venue, where visitors experienced the sound of Akiko’s Piano as realized through CELVIANO, a Casio digital piano. Many visitors expressed strong appreciation for the project’s purpose, as well as keen interest in the sound of Akiko’s Piano carried forward through CELVIANO.
On June 27, the Akiko’s Piano digital sound source was featured as part of the musical score for the stage production “The Postman of Nagasaki,” with pianist Akane Sakai performing the piece live on CELVIANO.
This was followed on June 29 by the world premiere of “Akiko’s Piano – Piano Concerto No. 4” by composer Dai Fujikura, presented as part of an orchestral concert. Performed by Sakai using the Akiko’s Piano digital sound source through CELVIANO, the work was inspired by the story of Akiko’s Piano. The performance was met with an enthusiastic response from the audience, culminating in a standing ovation.
The “Akiko’s Piano” Digital Instrument Sound Project represents a new approach to preserving cultural heritage by using digital technology to record and carry forward the sound of a historic piano while passing it on to future generations as a playable digital sound source.
Casio will continue working to preserve cultural heritage through music technology while sharing with the world — across generations and borders — the wish for peace embodied by Akiko’s Piano.
