Around the Music Festival

London-based pianist Mitsuko Uchida has been awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize, Denmark’s most prestigious arts award. She will receive a prize of 1 million Danish kroner. The award ceremony and commemorative concert will take place on May 30, 2027, at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen.

Uchida is a 77-year-old native of Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture. While attending the elementary school attached to Ochanomizu University, she participated in the “Music Class for Children” at the Toho Gakuen School of Music; however, she moved to Germany at the age of twelve when her father was appointed ambassador to West Germany.

She studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and subsequently received guidance from renowned figures such as Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Wilhelm Kempff, and Nikita Magaloff.

In 1970, she won second prize—the highest ranking achieved by a Japanese pianist—at the 8th International Chopin Piano Competition. She relocated to London in 1972 and has continued her international career. Regarding this award, Uchida stated, “I am deeply honored to receive such a prestigious music award. I am sincerely looking forward to visiting Copenhagen soon.”

The award was established in 1959. Named after Léonie Sonning—a Danish philanthropist known for supporting music—it honors individuals who have made a significant impact on musical culture; the inaugural prize was awarded to composer Igor Stravinsky. Last year, Kirill Petrenko received the award and garnered attention by donating the prize money to a Ukrainian cultural organization.

The award secretariat describes Uchida’s achievements as follows: “She is one of the most outstanding pianists in the world of classical music. With her deeply sincere character and a presence imbued with profound emotion, she has—for over four decades—consistently offered luminous interpretations of the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Arnold Schoenberg in particular. Her performance style, which demands intense concentration, frequently interweaves contrasting elements—ranging from moments of silence to explosive emotional outbursts—creating magical experiences for her audiences.”

PHOTO：Sonja Horsman