Ikuko Odai began her piano studies at the Toho-Gakuen Music Academy. After that, she completed an artistic postgraduate course in piano, piano duo, and song accompaniment at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart under Prof. Konrad Richter and Hans-Peter Stenzl.
She has won several prizes at international competitions in the piano duo category, e.g. a 1st prize at the 11th International Chamber Music Competition “Provincial di Caltanisetta” in Italy and the Schubert Prize at the 19th International Schubert Competition in the Czech Republic. She was also awarded “best piano accompanist” at the International Music Competition in Markneukirchen and at the Kurpinski Clarinet Competition in Poland.
Since 1992 she has been an instrumental accompanist at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. In addition, Ikuko Odai regularly works as a piano accompanist at international competitions, such as the ARD Competition in Munich, the International Music Competition in Markneukirchen and at various master classes. She is also active as a chamber music partner and gives concerts in Europe and Asia. In 2018 she produced the CD “Avandgarde” and „Manuscriptum“ with the horn player Prof. Adrian Díaz Martínez.