2015 17th Winners / Archives
Winners'Debut Concerts
The 17th Tokyo International Music Competition for conducting received the most applications of any competition in recent years, with applications coming from 239 individuals in 40 countries and regions. From among these, Spain's Diego Martin Etxebarria was the first to be awarded a 1st place prize since the competition of 2000. A 2nd prize was awarded to Gen Ota of Japan, and 3rd prize was awarded to Corinna Niemeyer of Germany, both of whom will also appear in winners' debut concerts.
Aside from the large number of applications received, the 2015 Competition is notable for the extremely high level of conducting displayed by the participants, which many judges commented on as a worthy basis for awarding prizes from 1st through 3rd place. First prize winner Diego Etxebarria (Spain) and 3rd prize winner Corinna Niemeyer (Germany) both won accolades from the judges as accomplished conductors, and 2nd prize winner Gen Ota (Japan) was praised as "a singular discovery" (Mr. Mike George) and "really, really astonishing" (Mr. Hubert Soudant).
We will watch with interest the future careers of the two highly accomplished conductors who participated in this competition, as well as the new talent represented by Gen Ota, who in his debut now stands in the limelight.
OSAKA
Schedule
- Date & Time: Thursday, May 11, 2016, 19:00
- Venue: The Symphony Hall
- Orchestra: Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra
Program
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Conductor: Corinna Niemeyer
Richard Strauss: Don Juan -
Conductor: Gen Ota
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare -
Conductor: Diego Etxebarria
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68
Tickets
NAGOYA
Schedule
- Date & Time: Date & Time: Sunday, May 15, 2016, 14:00
- Venue: Venue: Aichi Arts Center Concert Hall
- Orchestra: Orchestra: Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra
Program
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Conductor: Corinna Niemeyer
Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite -
Conductor: Gen Ota
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare -
Conductor: Diego Etxebarria
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68
Tickets
TOKYO
Schedule
- Date & Time: Date & Time: Thursday, May 19, 2016, 19:00
- Venue: Venue: Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall
- Orchestra: Orchestra: Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra
Program
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Conductor: Corinna Niemeyer
Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2 -
Conductor: Gen Ota
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare -
Conductor: Diego Etxebarria
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in E Minor, op.64
Tickets
PROFILE
Diego Martin Etxebarria (Spain)
He studied Conducting in Barcelona, Weimar and Dresden and attended courses by J. López-Cobos, G. Gelmetti, L. Köhler and C. Seaman (with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich). In Oprea productions, he has conducted Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" in Terrassa (Barcelona,) "Rita" at the Volksbühne Berlin, "L'elisir d'amore" in Galicien, Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" in Dresden, Bizet's "Carmen" at the Santa Florentina Festival, Puccini's "La Bohème" at the Augsburger Theater, Dittrich's "Die Verwandlung" & "Die Blinden" at the Staatsoper Berlin and so on. He was a Principal Conductor of the Akademisches Orchester Freiburg (2010-2012) and the Euskadiko Ikasleen Orchestra (Basque Country, 2007-2008.) He was invited as the guest conductor of the Bilbao Symphony, Euskadi Symphony, Galicia Symphony, Tenerife Symphony, Ciudad de Granada Symphony, Málaga Philharmonic, Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue, Camerata Variabile Basel and so on.
Gen Ota (Japan)
Gen Ota was born in the city of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan in 1994.He began learning the cello and piano from an early age.Attending the School of Music at the Tokyo University of the Arts, he graduated summa cum laude from the Department of Conducting. At the university, he won the Ataka Award and the Douseikai Prize (prize from the alumni association).He is currently enrolled in the Master’s Program for Conducting in the university's Graduate School of Music.In 2015, he won the Audience Award while finishing in 2nd place in the 17th Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting.He has studied conducting under Tadaaki Otaka and Ken Takaseki, and composition under the composer Junichi Nihashi.He has also taken lessons under Kazuki Yamada, Paavo Järvi, Douglas Bostock, Péter Csaba, Zsolt Nagy, and László Tihanyi.
Corinna Niemeyer (Germany)
Corinna Niemeyer studied Conducting in Zürich, Karlsruhe and Munich and attended masterclasses with Bernard Haitink (a.o. Lucerne Festival), Esa-Pekka Salonen and David Zinman. She was awarded the "Talent chef d'Orchestre 2014" (most talented orchestra leader), and the 2nd prize of the Concours ADAMI (Administration des Droits des Artistes et Musiciens Interprètes).Besides the Japan Tour, her 2016 highlights include debuts with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and opera productions at the Opera Augsburg (Germany). She works closely with Francois-Xavier Roth, assisting him at the SWR-Sinfonie-Orchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg.Corinna Niemeyer has worked with many professional ensembles, including Konzerttheater Bern, Orchestre Colonne Paris, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz and Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim. In the current season she holds the Assistant Conductor position at the Bergische Symphoniker (Germany). Enthusiastic about sharing her passion for music, she is the conductor of a children and youth orchestra (DEMOS) at the Philharmonie Paris.