Born in Osaka, Japan, Akiko Ebi began piano studies at three and a half. Her international career was launched by winning First Prize at the National Piano Competition in Japan, followed by the 2nd Grand Prix at the Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris, where she also received four special prizes from Arthur Rubinstein, Emile Sauer, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She later became a laureate of the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Ebi pursued her artistic development with distinguished teachers, including Aldo Ciccolini at the Paris Conservatoire, Vlado Perlemuter, Conrad Hansen, Louis Kentner, Colette Zerah, Susumu Nagai, and Toyoaki Matsuura.

Ebi has performed extensively in 37 countries at leading venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Gewandhaus, Suntory Hall, Teatro Colón, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Pleyel, Salle Gaveau, and Wigmore Hall. She has collaborated with renowned conductors including Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Frans Brüggen, Marek Janowski, Vassily Sinaisky, Lawrence Foster, Yutaka Sado, Michiyoshi Inoué, Kenichirô Kobayashi, and many others.

Her duo performances with Martha Argerich have been broadcast internationally, and her chamber music partners have included Ivry Gitlis, Augustin Dumay, Régis Pasquier, Yumino Toyoda, Alto Noras, Angela Hewitt, and ensembles such as the Moragues Quintet, Parisii Quartet, and Via Nova Quartet. She is a regular guest at major festivals, including La Roque d’Anthéron, Menton, Echternach, Verbier, La Folle Journée (Nantes, Lisbon, Tokyo), Nice, Warsaw, Lugano, Toledo, New York, Buenos Aires, and Santiago, among others.

Ebi’s discography features works by Chopin and Ravel, the world premiere recording of Dynam-Victor Fumet, and chamber music by Fauré, Franck, Grieg, Lekeu, Pierné, and Webern. She received Japan’s Grand Prix d’Or twice for her recordings of Hikari Ōe. Her distinctions include being named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (1993), receiving the ExxonMobil Music Prize (2002), and receiving the Gloria Artis medal from Poland (2023).

A sought-after pedagogue, Ebi gives masterclasses worldwide and has served on the juries of major competitions, including Chopin (Warsaw), Long-Thibaud, Clara Haskil, Gina Bachauer, Santander, Maria Canals, and others. She chaired the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition jury in 2012 and 2015 and has led the Japan Chopin Society for 13 years. She also serves as Planning Committee Chair for the Yokohama City International Piano Festival.