[Announcement of the passing of Seiji Ozawa]

Seiji Ozawa, a world-renowned conductor who left a significant mark on the Japanese orchestral world, passed away on February 6, 2024.
We offer our deepest condolences.

Mr. Ozawa became an associate of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in February 1964, and conducted five of the 34 performances during the orchestra's first North American tour that year, achieving great success. From August 19, 1968, to June 1972, he served as musical advisor and principal conductor, making significant contributions to the orchestra's early years. He gave the Japanese premieres of Berlioz's "Grand Mass for the Dead (Requiem)" and "Te Deum," as well as Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and "Kaddish" Symphony No. 3, and also performed the world premieres of three pieces from the "Japan Philharmonic Series," which commissioned works from Japanese composers. His performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" at the June 1972 regular concert is still talked about today.

With the founding of the New Japan Philharmonic in July 1972, Mr. Ozawa and the Japan Philharmonic went their separate ways. However, Mr. Ozawa continued to strive tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of musical excellence, and as is well known, he earned the respect of the world as "Ozawa of the World."
His remarkable achievements impressed the world with Japan's high musical standards and laid the foundation for Japanese musicians to become truly active on the global stage. He also proactively created opportunities for young musicians to learn and excel within Japan, contributing to raising the international level of Japan's music scene. In recognition of these achievements, in 2011 he was awarded a special prize by the Watanabe Akio Music Foundation, named after the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra's founding conductor. It was a great pleasure for Mr. Ozawa to accept the award so graciously.

We would like to express our heartfelt respect and gratitude to Maestro Seiji Ozawa for his enormous contributions to the world of music, and our sincere condolences.

日本フィルハーモニー交響楽団