Skillman Records Signee Koshiro Takeuchi Advances to Finals of 24th Concours Musical International de Montréal

Skillman Records, the New York–based independent classical record label and subsidiary division of Skillman Music, is thrilled to celebrate the exceptional achievement of newly signed Japanese violinist Koshiro Takeuchi, who has advanced to the Finals of the 24th edition of the prestigious Concours Musical International de Montréal (CMIM).

This major international milestone coincides with Skillman Records' formal announcement of the signing of both Takeuchi and acclaimed Chinese pianist Nianyi Huang for an upcoming duo album project featuring monumental works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Strauss, and Alfred Schnittke.

The project brings together two young artists with stellar international profiles and a shared dedication to serious chamber music repertoire. Produced under Skillman Records’ production-led model, the album will be developed through an integrated framework spanning artistic planning, recording production, post-production, release preparation, licensing coordination, distribution, and long-term catalog management.

"We are incredibly proud of Koshiro for capturing the international spotlight once again in Montreal," said Wei Wang, Founder of Skillman Music and Lead Producer of Skillman Records. "Signing Koshiro Takeuchi and Nianyi Huang for this project represents exactly what Skillman Records was built to do. They are serious young artists with immense international momentum. This album gives us the opportunity to support them not just with a world-class recording, but with a complete release framework designed to turn important musical projects into lasting commercial releases with the highest production standards."

Koshiro Takeuchi (Violin) has quickly emerged as one of the most promising young violinists of his generation. In addition to his current success as a finalist at the 2026 Concours Musical International de Montréal, he won First Prize at the inaugural Ion Voicu International Violin Competition in April 2025. His previous top honors include Third Prize at the Long-Thibaud International Music Competition, Fifth Prize at the 57th Premio Paganini Violin Competition—where he also received the Amici di Paganini Association Award for Best Contemporary Music Performance—and the Dr. Enrico Costa Memorial Award. Takeuchi has appeared at Suntory Hall in Nobuko Imai’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Concert under the baton of Kazuki Yamada and made his debut with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka in 2024. He has also performed with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Nianyi Huang (Piano), a contracted artist with HAILUN Piano, is an active performer, chamber musician, and educator. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Piano Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, where he serves as a teaching assistant in both the college keyboard division and the precollege division. He studies with renowned pedagogue Jeffrey Cohen and serves as his sole doctoral assistant. Huang has performed widely across China, the United States, and Europe, giving solo recitals, masterclasses, and chamber concerts in cities including Shenzhen, Hefei, Ningbo, Quanzhou, Nanchang, Handan, New York, and Weimar. His recent distinctions include Third Prize at the 2025 Weatherford College International Piano Competition and First Prize with Best Romantic Performance at the Gershwin International Piano Competition.

The upcoming album will feature a program centered on the violin-piano tradition, moving across the classical, late-Romantic, and modern eras through Beethoven, Strauss, and Schnittke. The repertoire reflects both artists’ technical command and their interest in building a recording project with profound artistic depth, structural contrast, and long-term catalog value.

Built on Skillman Music’s long-standing foundation in classical recording, studio facility operations, concert film production, post-production, and media production, Skillman Records was created to support recording artists through a complete commercial release pathway. The label works directly across the full lifecycle of each project, from session planning and production through editing, mixing, mastering, metadata, licensing, distribution, promotional assets, marketing consultation, and catalog development.

Further details regarding the album title, recording schedule, and official release date will be announced at a later date. 

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