Saoko Blendis was born in Tokyo, and graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo with a degree in journalism. In 1998 she moved to London to study piano at the Royal Academy of Music. Since then, she has developed a career as a piano accompanist and duo partner. She frequently performs with her violinist husband Simon and her son Aki, who was a strings finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2022.

 

In July 2022 Simon and Saoko released a critically acclaimed CD of violin and piano salon pieces called ‘Love is Like a Violin’, which has accumulated over three million streams since its release. Since the album's release, Saoko and Simon have performed together at Festivals throughout the UK, as well as on BBC Radio 3.