Founded in 2006 by pianist Lisa Nakamichi, the Aloha International Piano Festival (AIPF) is a non-profit organization committed to educating Hawaii’s students and teachers. AIPF addresses three main needs: the need for music teacher training, the need for low-cost music concerts and music education opportunities, and the need for high-caliber classes and lessons for piano students.

 

The mission of the AIPF is to promote musical enrichment, innovation and diversity through a nationally-recognized education program, music festival, concerts, teacher enrichment workshops, and competition. AIPF strives to elevate the standards of music education in Hawaii while offering the rare opportunity for Hawaii’s students to be able to study with the most revered concert pianists and teachers from around the world. As a result of volunteer efforts and work to minimize administrative costs, AIPF has consistently offered programs at low and affordable rates for more than a decade.

 

Over the past two decades, AIPF has welcomed internationally renowned artists and teachers--such as Jon Nakamatsu (Cliburn Gold Medalist), Fabio Bidini (Busoni top prize), Kevin Kenner (Chopin top prize), and Sara Davis Buechner (Tchaikovsky bronze medalist)— nurtured hundreds of students, and inspired audiences across the islands. Yet at its heart, the Festival has always been about people — the relationships, stories, and memories that have shaped us. Our alumni now perform and teach around the world, carrying with them the spirit of aloha wherever they go. This legacy belongs not just to the Festival, but to the entire community that has supported us from the beginning.