鋼琴家上原彩子出生於 1980 年，日本高松市，在贏得 2002 年第 12 屆莫斯科柴可夫斯基鋼琴大賽冠軍後，頓時成為國際矚目的焦點。

上原彩子隨後在 2005/06 年音樂季上，首度與倫敦交響樂團和指揮家狄博格斯合作演出，隔年音樂季她也再度與該樂團再次在合作演出。她同時也首度於 BBC 廣播愛樂管弦樂團，以及指揮家諾西達合作，隨著他們巡迴英國和日本，並於 2008 年二月再次與倫敦交響樂團與指揮家佩特連科合作演出。2008/09 年音樂季，上原彩子回到維也納音藝管弦樂團與該團音樂總監克利斯欽・賈維合作，在維也納舉行多場音樂會，隨後更相偕前往日本展開巡迴演出。

上原彩子近幾年的精彩演出還包括，在指揮家雅諾夫斯基邀請下，與瑞士法語區管弦樂團合作合作，與維也納交響樂團與指揮家法比歐・路易西合作、布拉格交響樂團、班貝格交響樂團、莫斯科廣播交響樂團與費多賽耶夫、德勒斯登愛樂與席蒙楊、俄羅斯國家管弦樂團與普雷特涅夫、托斯卡尼尼愛樂與馬捷爾、另外也和柏林廣播管弦樂團以及雅諾夫斯基一起到日本巡迴演出，並與新日本愛樂和小澤征爾合作演出。2010 年五月間，上原彩子也和新俄羅斯國立交響樂團與巴許梅合作，前往日本巡迴演出柴可夫斯基第一號鋼琴協奏曲，她同時也和該團在 2010 年 8 月間，參加第 65 屆在波蘭杜茲尼基舉辦的蕭邦鋼琴音樂節，贏得滿堂喝彩。

上原彩子每年音樂季都會在日本巡迴舉辦獨奏會。2003 年她首次來到倫敦舉辦獨奏會，在魏格摩音樂廳演出，2005 她又重訪舊地舉行獨奏會。其他的獨奏演出，包括在義大利包括瓦瑞斯、葛瓦拉為義大利環境基金會的首度音樂會；2003 年的盧爾蓋比鋼琴音樂節、波蘭國際蕭邦音樂節（2002 和 2005），2003 年在克羅埃西亞參加杜布羅夫尼克音樂節、楓丹白露布拉格青年音樂祭、以及東京歌劇院市立獨奏廳、和多場在澳洲和波蘭的獨奏會。2007/08 年上原彩子首度來到哥本哈根和蘇黎士音樂廳舉行獨奏會，這年音樂季她也在日本巡迴演出最後，回到日本東京的山多利音樂廳再次舉行獨奏會。

上原彩子從 2003 年開始與 EMI 簽下獨家唱片合約，在 2007 年 10 月錄下的普羅高菲夫獨奏鋼琴作品集，在 2008 年 4 月發行，是她在歐洲發行的第三張個人專輯。她第一張發行的專輯則是在柴可夫斯基大賽上錄下的現場演出，當年在日本發行時，創下狂售三萬張的佳績。

上原彩子同時也多次在日本的 NHK 節目中演出，另外也曾在波蘭國家與衛星電視公司的節目上演出。

Born in 1980 in Takamatsu, Japan, Ayako Uehara became the focus of international attention after winning the first prize in the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, 2002.

Ayako made her debut with the London Symphony Orchestra in the 2005/06 season with Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, and returned to work with the orchestra in the next season. She also made her debut with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Noseda in the UK and on tour in Japan, and returned to the London Symphony Orchestra in February 2008 with Vassily Petrenko. In the 2008/09 season Ayako returned to the Vienna Tonkuenstlerorchestra with their Music Director, Kristjan Jarvi, for concerts in Vienna and then on tour in Japan.

Other recent performances with orchestras include engagements with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande at the invitation of Mo. Janowski, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra with Fabio Luisi, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra under Fedoseyev, Dresden Philharmonic with Simone Young, Russian National Orchestra with Mikhail Pletnev, Toscanini Philharmonic with Lorin Maazel, a tour of Japan with the Berlin Radio Orchestra and Marek Janowski, and the New Japan Philharmonic with Seiji Ozawa. In May 2010, Ayako Uehara toured with the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya” led by Yuri Bashmet in Japan, performing Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 1, and in August 2010 she participated in the 65th International Chopin Piano Festival in Duszniki, Poland, winning critical acclaim for both.

In recital, Ayako Uehara tours Japan each season. In 2003 she made her London debut at Wigmore Hall and returned there in 2005. Other recitals include debuts in Italy, in Varese and Cervara, for the Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano; at the Ruhrgebiet Piano Festival (2003), the International Chopin Festival, Poland (2002 and 2005), the Dubrovnik Festival, Croatia (2003), Young Prague, Fontainebleau, and at Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall, as well as recital tours of Australia and Poland. In 2007/08 Ayako made her recital debuts in Copenhagen and at the Tonhalle, Zurich, as well as returning to Suntory Hall, Tokyo, at the end of a brief Japan tour.

Since 2003, Ayako has recorded exclusively with EMI International. Her Prokofiev Solo Works, recorded in October 2007, were released as her third CD in Europe in April, 2008. Ayako’s first ever recording was her live recording from the Tchaikovsky Competition, which was released in Japan and sold over 30,000 copies.

Ayako Uehara has also made several appearances with NHK Radio and Television in Japan, and with Polish National and Satellite Television.