Maho Yamada was born in Niigata, Japan, and began studying piano and composition at an early age, developing a deep and lasting passion for music. She completed her studies in Piano Performance and Music Pedagogy at the Tokyo College of Music before moving to Switzerland to further her education.

In Switzerland, she studied at the Musik-Akademie Basel, where she obtained the Konzertdiplom under the guidance of renowned pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. She later specialized in fortepiano at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, studying with Edoardo Torbianelli and Kristian Bezuidenhout.

Maho Yamada has pursued an active concert career both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. She has collaborated with distinguished artists such as flutist Regula Bernath and guitarist Priska Weibel, and performed as a pianist with the Basel Sinfonietta. Her concert activity has taken her throughout Switzerland and abroad. Alongside this, she has gained extensive experience as an accompanist, notably at the Musik-Akademie Basel, working with the bassoon and violin classes of Sergio Azzolini and Alexander van Wijnkoop.

Since 2003, she has been deeply committed to teaching, working as a piano teacher, chamber music coach, and listening skills instructor. She teaches both privately and at several Swiss music schools, including Musikschule Schaffhausen, Domat/Ems, and Biasca. Her pedagogical approach combines technical rigor, artistic sensitivity, and close attention to each student’s individual development.
Since 2021, she has also been active as pianist and organist for the Evangelical Reformed Churches of Locarno, Ascona and Muralto.

She is fluent in Japanese, Italian, German, and English. In addition to music, she has a strong interest in Japanese cuisine and literature. She lives in Locarno with her husband and their two children.