Pianists with disabilities given an international stage on which to shine

Tokio Sakoda believes that everybody has musical talent - the tricky part is finding a stage on which to perform.

As chairman of the quadrennial International Piano Festival by People with Disabilities, Sakoda has given pianists with impairments the chance to shine. This year's event hold in Vancouver from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.

Sakoda's inspiration came about 30 years ago when he was working with a visually impaired student while he was an assistant professor at Musashino Academy of Music. The student relied on his fingertips to read the braille music scores and then memorized the music.

"Even if a person has an impairment, their talent will blossom if they're given the right guidance," Sakoda, 72, said.

"Music has infinite possibilities," he added. "Some people have handicaps so they are compelled to come up with something original to help themselves."

In 2001, Sakoda established the Institute of Piano Teachers and Disabled in Japan. In 2005, the inaugural international piano festival was held in Yokohama.

Sakoda has held concerts in several places to raise awareness - and funds - for the upcoming festival. He relied on a similar strategy when he was 27 and needed to raise funds to cover his expenses for a study trip to Vienna.

About 80 pianists from 16 countries are expected to participate in the Vancouver festival, where Sakoda believes a musical diamond might just be waiting to be discovered.

"Perhaps one of them will become a pianist who will go down in history," Sakoda said.