Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa (Japanese小泽 征 尔, Seiji Ozawa, born September 1, 1935 in Shenyang, Manchukuo (now the People's Republic of China) ) is a world -known Japanese conductor and composer.
Life
Seiji Ozawa was born the son of the dentist Ozawa Kaisaku in Manchukuo. He studied at the Toho Gakuen Daigaku Chōfu in composition and conducting. In 1959 he received a prize from the International Competition of Orchestra Conductors in Besançon and an invitation from Charles Münch at the Tanglewood Music Center, where Ozawa won the Koussevitzky Prize in 1960 as a student conductor. By Michiko Tanaka de Kowa he got a scholarship with Herbert von Karajan.
In 1961 he was assistant conductor of Leonard Bernstein for the New York Philharmonic. A year later he gave independent concerts with the San Francisco Symphony. From 1964 to 1969 he was music director of the Chicago Symphony Festival Ravinia Festival. From 1965-69 was Ozawa Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and from 1970 to 1976 the San Francisco Symphony.
1973 Ozawa was music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and was until 2002. There are currently no world other living conductor, who for so long could cooperate continuously with a big orchestra. He led the BSO in music eras of modernity. Tours with the BSO led him to Europe, China, Japan, South America and across the U.S.. He brought it on over 140 recordings of 55 composers on ten labels. In 1976 he received his first Emmy Award for TV series of symphony concerts. Ozawa founded in September 1984, the Saito Kinen Orchestra in Japan.
In 1990 he gave a series of concerts for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Tanglewood Music Center. Seiji Ozawa co-founded the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto in 1992. It is named after his teacher in Tokyo, Hideo Saito, who brought Western music and playing technique to Japan. For a long time he was busy with the Orchestre National de France road and at La Scala and the Vienna State Opera.
In October 2002, Ozawa was music director of the Vienna State Opera, which corresponded to his growing interest in opera. He was there earlier often a guest conductor and conducted the Vienna Philharmonic on tour and at the Salzburg Festival. He also directed the 2002 New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Great concern to him is the promotion of modern music and young composers. From Ozawa, there are about 400 recordings on CD, especially with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Awards
Ozawa was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Massachusetts, the New England Conservatory of Music, Wheaton College, Norton (Massachusetts ).