Who Is Hayato Sumino? The Classical Pianist Who Conquered YouTube

Article

Hayato Sumino is proof that a serious classical career and a massive YouTube following aren't mutually exclusive — he has both, at a level few musicians manage either one.

From Engineering to the Chopin Competition

Born in Tokyo in 1995, Sumino started piano at age three but pursued an academic path through the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology before competing at the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, where he became a semi-finalist. His second-round performance drew a record 45,000 online viewers.

Cateen on YouTube

Under the name "Cateen," Sumino has built a YouTube channel with nearly 200 million views, mixing classical repertoire with his own compositions, jazz improvisation, and pop arrangements — a genre range that's unusual for a classically-trained pianist of his caliber.

Recent Recognition

Sumino was named to Forbes Japan's "30 under 30" list in 2023, and signed an exclusive recording contract with Sony Classical in March 2024.

What To Know

Sumino represents a new kind of classical crossover star — a Chopin Competition semi-finalist who also built a massive YouTube following through jazz improvisation and pop covers, bridging audiences that rarely overlap.

Sumino's background studying engineering at the University of Tokyo (one of Japan's most competitive universities) before pursuing music professionally is part of his public narrative — a path that doesn't follow the traditional conservatory-only track most top classical pianists take.

What Fans Are Saying

• "His jazz improvisation on classical themes is unreal."
• "Engineering degree to Chopin semi-finalist to YouTube star, incredible path."

Original Japanese

• 「クラシックのジャズ即興がすごすぎる」
• 「東大からショパンコンクールという経歴がすごい」

Easy Japanese

角野隼斗は、ショパン・コンクールのセミファイナリストになったピアニストです。「Cateen」というYouTubeチャンネルでも人気があります。