The 24th Saito Hideo Memorial Fund Award Winners Kei Yamazawa (cello) / Masaru Kumakura (conductor)

The Sony Music Foundation (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Michinori Mizuno; English name: Sony Music Foundation) has announced that Kei Yamazawa will receive the 24th (FY2025) Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award in the cello category and Masaru Kumakura will receive the award in the conducting category. The 24th Hideo Saito Memorial Foundation Award

The 24th Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award" winners: Kei Yamazawa (cello) and Masaru Kumakura (conductor)

Words of Acceptance (excerpt)

＜Mr. Kei Yamazawa

Thank you very much for selecting me for the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award. It is an honor beyond my means, but I accept it as a recognition of the steady progress I have made in my musical activities while cherishing my own beliefs. If there is anything that I can contribute to the cello world, it is to continue to perform the works commissioned and premiered by predecessors such as Mr. Rostropovich and Dr. Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and to help create works that will be part of the repertoire 100 years from now by commissioning composers myself as a link to that history. I believe that I am a link to that history. Although I am not as good as Saito Sensei, I will continue to work on my music with enthusiasm."

＜Mr. Masaru Kumakura

I am very honored to receive the prestigious Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award. As a student of Toho Gakuen, I have heard anecdotes about Saito Sensei through his great seniors, and just hearing his name is something that makes me tense up. I am now in my fifth year at a theater in Germany, and I am gaining new experiences every day, especially in the field of opera. I am still struggling to do what is right in front of me every day, but I hope to one day become a musician who can contribute to the development of music and art culture, even if only a little. For that purpose, I will continue to devote myself step by step to live up to this award.

Full text of the award acceptance speech, award presentation speech by the selection committee members, and profiles of the award winners: https://www.atpress.ne.jp/open_media_file/573234/1816690786.pdf

About the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award

In 2002, the Sony Music Foundation established the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award to honor young cellists and conductors. The "Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award" is named after the late Hideo Saito (1902-1974), a renowned cellist, conductor, and educator.

Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award URL: https://www.smf.or.jp/saitohideo/

Sponsor: Sony Music Foundation

Special Cooperation: Saito Kinen Foundation / Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival Executive Committee

<Scriteria for Selection

Young cellists and conductors who are expected to contribute to the development of music, art and culture, and to be more active in the future.

In principle, one cellist and one conductor will be awarded for each fiscal year (from April 1 to March 31 of the following year). However, if there is no appropriate person, no award will be given.

＜Selection Method

The Selection Committee selects candidates for the award, based on the opinions of those involved in the music industry, and all members of the Selection Committee select the recipient of the award.

＜Permanent Honorary Advisor

Mr. Seiji Ozawa (Conductor, deceased)

＜Selection Committee

Selection Committee Chairman: Michinori Mizuno (President, Sony Music Foundation)

Permanent Selection Committee Member: Mr. Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cellist)

Term Selection Committee Member: Mr. Ken Takaseki (Conductor)

　　　　　　　　Mr. Hiroo Tojo (Music Critic)

　　　　　　　　Ms. Junko Yoshida (Editorial Writer, Asahi Shimbun)

<Prize

Plaque / Prize money (5 million yen per person for each year, total 10 million yen)

<When and how the prizewinners will be announced

An appropriate announcement period will be determined for each year, taking into consideration the timing of the awards. The winners will be announced in the mass media and on the Foundation's website.

<Past award winners>(*Honorifics omitted)

　　　　　　　　　(Cello) (Conducting)

The 1st (2002) Akio Ueki, Kazushi Ohno

The 2nd (2003) Nobuo Furukawa, Junichi Hirokami

3rd (2004) None, Tatsunori Numajiri

The 4th (2005) Sumire Kudo, Alan Gilbert

5th (FY2006) None; Eiji Oue

6th (FY 2007) Dai Miyata, Tatsuya Shimono

7th (FY 2008) Gen Yokosaka, Naoto Otomo

8th (FY 2009) Mari Endo, None

9th (FY 2010) Yoko Hasegawa, Kinbo Ishii Eto

The 10th (FY2011) Hidemi Suzuki, Ken Takaseki

The 11th (FY2012) Danjuro Ishizaka, Kazuki Yamada

The 12th (2013) Rei Tsujimoto, Keiko Mitsuhashi

The 13th (FY2014) Hajime Otomo, Toshiyuki Kamioka

The 14th (FY2015) Shohei Kamimori, Kentaro Kawase

15th (FY2016) Jun Sakai, None

16th (FY2017) Yuya Okamoto, Ryuichiro Sonoda

The 17th (FY 2018) Yuki Ito, None

The 18th (FY2019) Haruma Sato, Masato Suzuki

The 19th (FY2020) Hitomi Niikura, None

The 20th (FY2021) Tatsuru Sasanuma, Keitaro Harada

The 21st (FY2022) Michiaki Ueno, Nodoka Okizawa

The 22nd (FY2023) Fumino Kamimura, Yoichi Sugiyama

The 23rd (FY2024): Yo Kitamura, Gene Ota

Outline of the Foundation

Name: Sony Music Foundation

President: Michinori Mizuno

Year of establishment: 1984

Location: SME Rokubancho Building, 4-5 Rokubancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8353, Japan

URL : https://www.smf.or.jp/