Mari Kodama was born in Osaka, grew up in Germany and studied at the CNSM (Conservatoire national Supérieur de Musique et de Danse) in Paris, then with Tatiana Nikolaeva and Alfred Brendel. Since her acclaimed debut at Carnegie Hall, her career has taken her to the most splendid halls and festivals worldwide.

Her deeply nuanced and natural musicality, her unique ability to combine tonal expressiveness with a clear sense of form, and her exceptional virtuosity have made her a leading international pianist. An authoritative interpreter of Beethoven, she plays a wide range of repertoire, including orchestral, chamber and solo works by composers of all periods. In addition, she likes to introduce audiences to rarely heard gems of the piano repertoire, such as Stenhammar's Piano Concerto No. 2, Berg's Kammerkonzert for piano and violin, and Beintus' double piano concerto.

In 2021-22 she recorded a CD dedicated to Brahms, participated in the Beethoven-Project II of the Hamburg Ballett, and gave recitals in France, Germany and Japan.

She co-founded Forest Hill Musical Days and Tra Luce e Sogno, as the artistic director, and has directed the Chamber Music series at the Orford Music Festival. She has also recorded several CDs for the Pentatone label, including the complete Beethoven sonatas and New Paths, a musical portrait of the young Brahms and his friendship with the Schumanns.