Horowitz Competition winners are going to Japan

March 12 through 16 the young pianists will give concerts at the Osaka International Culture Center. The winners of the International Competition of Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz will perform in the Yamaha piano factory and Yamaha Ginza Hall in Tokyo. The tour will include the performances of Kyivite Roman Lopatynsky (1 prize, Intermediate Group, 2010) and Oleksandra Kasman, the US (2 prize, Junior Group, 2008). Yakov Kasman, a well-known pianist, jury member at the 7th and 8th International Competitions of Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz, professor at the Kyiv International Summer Music Academy will hold workshops in Osaka and Tokyo.

“The cooperation of our competition with representatives of Japan has its history,” president of the International Charity Foundation of the Vladimir Horowitz Competitions Yurii Zilberman told The Day, “The jury members in 1997 included professor at the Music University in Osaka, Kazuhiko Nakadzima, who held in Tokyo a regional selection tour for the 2nd Horowitz Competition. Besides, the competition winners include many Japanese pianists: Risa Hinuoe (1 prize, Junior Group, 1997), Kazumasa Matsumoto (3 prize, Intermediate Group, 1997), Yudzi Kitano and Haruko Uchiama (3 prize, Senior Group, 1997), Seiko Tsumamoto (2 prize, Senior Group, 1999), Nogi Naria (2 prize, Junior Group, 2002), Kenichyro Suzuki (4 prize, Senior Group, 2003), and Rioma Takagi (1 prize, Junior Group, 2004). Japanese performers also take a regular part in international festivals ‘Kyiv Summer Music Evenings’ and ‘Planet of Virtuosi.’”

To continue the cooperation, the winners of the Horowitz Competition were invited to Japan for March 12 through 16. This tour will coincide with the anniversary of the accident on Fukusima Nuclear Power Plant, which took place on March 11, 2011 as a result of one of the most powerful earthquakes in Japan. Namely because of those tragic events the tour of the competition winners was put off by spring 2012.

Incidentally, the next, 9th International Competition of Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz will take place in June 8 through 23 (when Euro-2012 will be underway in Kyiv). This event will be especially responsible and prestigious for this international music forum. Currently the selection tour is underway; according to its results the organizing committee will announce the number of the participants. The pianists will be competing in the Intermediate (age of 14-19) and Senior (16-33) groups at the National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine. All the competition rounds will be broadcast online on the website of the competition www.horowitzv.org