Casio Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Privia in New York City with Performances by Japanese Pianist Hayato Sumino and Special Guests

Hayato Sumino remembers his first introduction to Privia. It was 2019 when Casio invited the Japanese pianist and composer to an event in his hometown of Tokyo, Japan. A year later, Sumino joined the brand in Shanghai where he performed, and connected more deeply to the sound and textures of the Casio Privia.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Sumino continued performing and creating musical content on YouTube using the Privia. “I was able to bring it to different places, sometimes in my room and outside, near the river, so it kept me busy during the pandemic,” said Sumino, who has used the PX-S1100 and PX-S7000 models, with the PX-S1100 being used for smaller projects.

Privia pushed beyond the traditional colors for the PX-S7000 with the introduction of Harmonious Mustard (yellow) in addition to classic black and white, offering a color for any spectrum of music. A sophisticated design along with its lush EP and piano tones and overall digital and acoustic capabilities were some of the features that initially attracted Sumino to the instrument.

“What I was fascinated by was that the design is very cool and very light,” said Sumino, who became Casio’s global ambassador for Privia in 2021. “The detail and the sound are very high level.”

Along with pianist Jon Regen and pop singer and songwriter Laura Clapp, Sumino celebrated the 20th anniversary of the instrument line during a private event in Brooklyn, New York on September 25.

During the event inside an old warehouse that once housed the offices of Brooklyn Edison Company, Rich Formidoni, product marketing manager at Casio America, Inc., introduced the chairman and CEO of Casio America, Tomoo Kato. Formidoni also demonstrated some of the features of the PX-S7000 model, which was showcased in Harmonious Mustard, the color theme for the evening.

Before Regen shared a short performance, Clapp opened the night with her song “First Shade of Winter,” from her 2012 album Go, and an anecdote about how a Privia made it into the music video. “When I filmed the video, I decided I wanted to play it [‘First Shade of Winter’] on the rocks,” shared Clapp. “And you can’t really play a grand piano so I brought my Privia out to the shores of Connecticut where I live. You can see it in the video. Privia in the wild.”

When asked by Formidoni what he thought of the Privia when it was first introduced 20 years ago, Regen said, “It was as close to an acoustic instrument that you could get without playing a [traditional] piano.” He added, “It vibrated like an instrument. If you’re a piano player you’re connected to the vibration of sound. So the fact that there was this instrument that was portable, an instrument of that quality that fools you for a minute … because as a piano player, you need to be fooled.”

He continued, “You need to believe that what you’re playing is an acoustic instrument, and that’s what I remembered the first time I played Casio.”

Sumino closed the evening with the final performance and shared how Privia has impacted his music and his forthcoming album under Sony Classical. Since his first introduction to Casio, Privia has become a core instrument inspiring Sumino’s compositions, including his recent score for the 2024 anime film First Line, along with his recent work with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, and collaboration with Luxembourgish pianist Francesco Tristano.

Privia was also key in helping Sumino compose 2024 releases “Turkish March Variations in All 24 Keys” and “Nocturne II – After Dawn,” along with his forthcoming album, Human Universe, inspired by the link between music and science.

“I was always finding a relationship between music and science,” shared Sumino, “and I was fascinated with the concept from ancient Greece, which believed that the whole universe creates music.”

Moving ahead, Sumino admitted that he’d like to explore synths and electronic music. “I always love collaborating with musicians who specialize in electronic music,” he said. “It pushes you out of what you normally do. As an artist, I always try to do something new, and sometimes find it difficult to find a balance between [classical and other music]. But I believe that classical music has room to evolve in the 21st century, which is what I want to do.”

Sumino added, “Though I use an acoustic piano, I still use Casio Privia to make music because it captures the subtle nuances and sounds. I always loved discovering new sounds, and the Casio Privia inspires me. It’s not only about playing on the stage. You can use it inside your room, and that’s part of your life.”

Photos: Jason DeCrow/AP Content Services for Casio America, Inc.