35th Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition Nominated works announced

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Takuma Saito	Satori Hironiwa	Junichi Matsumoto ©Aya Sunahara

The Suntory Foundation for the Arts (Directors General: Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Shingo Torii) has announced the three works to be nominated for the 35th (2024) Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition (previously the Akutagawa Award for Music Composition).

The Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition was established by the Suntory Music Foundation (now the Suntory Foundation for the Arts) in April 1990 with the support of the Japan Federation of Composers, and celebrates the achievements of Yasushi Akutagawa (1925-1989), one of the leading Japanese composers of the post-war era. In fond remembrance of the late composer's love of music, his lucid views on music and the passion that he brought to the promotion of music, this composition prize, which was the first of its kind in Japan, is a unique initiative aimed at up-and-coming composers creating orchestral works full of freshness and steeped in potential, with winners selected from among pieces premiered at public concerts. This is a compound award, as composers winning the prize also receive a commission for a new orchestral work, with the first performance held two years thereafter.

In 2019, marked the 50th anniversary of the founding in 1969 of the parent organization of the Suntory Foundation for the Arts, the Torii Music Foundation, and also a change in the name to “the Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition,” to make the spirit of the award clearer. At the same time, the prize-money was increased to ¥1,500,000. Going forward we will continue to support the young composers of Japan as they emerge onto a wider stage.

▽Selection process
On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the three members of the selection committee, after careful consideration, came to a decision on the three nominated works at the conference room of the foundation. These were chosen from among orchestral pieces created by Japanese composers that were first performed in Japan or abroad during the period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024, based on the music score and the recording of the first performance.
The three members of the selection committee were Sunao Isaji, Noriko Koide, Akio Yasuraoka. (In alphabetical order)

▽The 35th Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition nominated works

Takuma Saito: Antigone et Créon for Soprano, Ensemble and Electronics（2024）
Premiered “Concert du Prix de Composition 2ème Partie” on September 27, 2024 at Salle Remy Pflimlin (Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris)

Satori Hironiwa: The silent girl(s) for Piano and Chamber Orchestra（2024）
Premiered “Composition Department Workshop 2024” with Prof. Zsolt Nagy on June 11, 2024 at Tokyo University of the Arts Hall 6

Junichi Matsumoto: The Society of Space-Embroidery for Orchestra（2024）
Premiered “The 93rd Music Competition of Japan, Composition Division, Final Round” on November 7, 2024 at NHK Hall

▽Biography

Takuma SAITO
Born in Japan in 1992. Graduated from the French department of Sophia University in 2015. In 2019, he was admitted to the composition class of the Paris Conservatory. He completed his master of composition with the best mention with unanimous congratulations in 2024. In the same year, the French Arts Academy (Académie des Beaux-Arts) selected him as artist in residence at the Villa Marmottan for the year 2024-25.

Satori HIRONIWA
Born in Tokushima Prefecture on May 22, 2000. After studying piano at Kunitachi College of Music High School, graduated at the top of the Department of Composition, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts. Currently she is enrolled in the second year of a master's degree program in composition at the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts. She has studied composition under Midori Okubo, Shirotomo Aizawa, Ichiro Nodaira, and Hitomi Kaneko.

Junichi MATSUMOTO
Born in 1973 in Hokkaido. Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Department of Composition. He has received several awards, including the 1st Prize in the composition section of the 93rd Japan Music Competition, finalist for the 33rd Akutagawa Award for Music Composition, the 2nd Prize in the composition section of the 91st Japan Music Competition, the Finalist Prize in the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium 2011, and the Excellent Music Award (“Like Father, Like Son”, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda) in the 37th Japan Academy Prize.

▽The 35th Competition of Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition
Date/Time: Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 15:00
Venue: Suntory Hall Main Hall
Performers:
Yoichi Sugiyama, Conductor
New Japan Philharmonic
Ayaka Sato, Euphonium
Koki Fujimoto, Electric Guitar etc.
Open Screening:
Seiji Choki, MC
Sunao Isaji / Noriko Koide / Akio Yasuraoka, Jury
Programme:
Wataru Mukai: Queen for Euphonium, Electric Guitar, Women’s Vocal Ensemble and Large Orchestra (with Organ) (2025)
［World Premiere, Commissioned by Suntory Foundation for the Arts］

Nominated above 3works

See here for more on the Akutagawa Yasushi Suntory Award for Music Composition
See here about the Suntory Foundation for the Arts

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