Seiji Ozawa

[thomas]

Last sunday Seiji Ozawa gave his debut as music director of the Vienna State Opera. He used to be director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 27 years.

Maestro Ozawa marks start of Vienna stint

=> http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content...at=1&id=228642

His biography

=> http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/ozawa/

=> http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Ozawa-Seiji.htm

[Twisted]

He did the New Years concert this year. didn't he?

He's also the uncle of popsinger Kenji Osawa, who became famous when he played in the band Flipper's guitar, together with Keigo Oyamada, who is better known as Cornelius.

[thomas]

Seiji-san directed the last New Year's Concert, which is usually attended by many Japanese coming to Vienna only for the concert (tickets have to be reserved years in advance).

So the Ozawa clan is all music.
:)

[thomas]

Reported by Kyodo News, Dec. 3, 2002:

Austria awards Seiji Ozawa Cross of Honor

The Austrian government on Monday awarded Seiji Ozawa, the musical director of the Vienna State Opera, with the Cross of Honor for Science and Art First Class, the highest Austrian honor to individuals who made contributions in the area of arts and culture.

In January, Ozawa won international acclaim for his conducting of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year concert. The director of the state opera, Ioan Holender, also won a Great Golden Badge of Honor for Merit for the Austrian Republic.

[thomas]

Just "local" news for fans of classical music.

Seiji Ozawa to take stage at opera performance in Vienna

Japanese maestro Seiji Ozawa said Monday he plans to make a special appearance in "Die Zauber Flote fur Kinder" when he conducts the Mozart juvenile opera at the Vienna State Opera on Feb. 28. Ozawa told reporters that he will take the stage to introduce the opera to the young audience and talk about the music instruments to be used by the orchestra. He said he will also sing. "I'm trying hard to study German, but it's tough to learn a foreign language at my age," the 67-year-old maestro said. The Vienna State Opera, acting on Ozawa's idea, has invited 7,000 primary school students from across Austria to Friday's free performance. Ozawa said he wanted to do the show "to let children experience the wonder of live music." Ozawa also holds an annual concert in Japan for primary school students at the Saito Kinen Festival at Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, and makes appearances on stage. Friday's performance will be the first time for the Japanese maestro to take the stage since he became music director of Vienna State Opera last year.

=> http://asia.news.yahoo.com/030224/kyodo/d7pd6du00.html