He was not born to impress anyone. He simply plays — in a way that makes the world’s most discerning concert halls fall silent. No gestures, no pose, no attempt to please. His name is Nobuyuki Tsujii. He doesn’t see, but he hears music with such precision and sensitivity that at some point you stop wondering how it’s possible — and simply listen.

The Japanese pianist, blind from birth, has become an artist whose name extends far beyond the classical world. Winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a Deutsche Grammophon artist, the subject of acclaimed documentaries — he has performed on the world’s great stages: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, as well as in Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong — and now, for the first time, Riga.

On 1 May 2026, in the intimate setting of the Latvian National Theatre, Nobu — as he is affectionately known by colleagues and fans — will give his only solo recital in Latvia.