Around the Music Festival

The Japan Art Association (Governor: Prince Hitachi) announced the winners of the 31st “Praemium Imperiale” on the 17th. The award is presented to the best artist in the world, and the winner of the music division was German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. The winner will receive a gold medal and a prize of 15 million yen.

Mutter is 56 years old, born in Rheinfelden near Basel, Germany. Her talent was discovered by the famous conductor Herbert von Karajan, she debuted at the age of 13 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, she has been internationally active and won numerous awards, including four Grammy awards in the United States, and is a star performer who has sold over 10 million CD albums.

“Praemium Imperiale” was established in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Japan Art Association. It is based on the last wishes of the former governor, Prince Takamatsu, who wants to contribute widely to the spread of cultural arts around the world.

There are five divisions: “Painting”, “Sculpture”, “Architecture”, “Music”, and “Theatre/Film”. The 31st award ceremony will be held on October 16th at the Meiji Kinenkan in Motoakasaka, Tokyo. The winners in each division are as follows.

　Painting：William Kentridge（64）=South Africa
　Sculpture：Mona Hatoum（67）=United Kingdom
　Architecture：Tod Williams（76）和Billie Tsien（70）=United States
　Theatre/Film：Tamasaburo Bando（69）=Japan

Photo：anne-sophie-mutter.de　/　Monika Höfler


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