NEWS
A press conference to announce the winners of the Tokyo International Conducting Competition 2024 was held at the Min-On Culture Center from 2pm on October 14, 2024.
- Koji YAMAGUCHI, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee and President of the Min-On Concert Association
- Tadaaki OTAKA, Chairperson of the Panel of Judges
- Members of the Panel of Judges (in alphabetical order): Jeff ALEXANDER, Mike GEORGE, Junichi HIROKAMI, Okko KAMU, Tatsuya SHIMONO, Hubert SOUDANT, Ken TAKASEKI
- Prize winners: 1st Prize and Orchestra Award winner, Kornilios Viktor MICHAILIDIS; 2nd Prize and Audience Award winner, Riley Holden COURT-WOOD, 3rd Prize and Hideo Saito Award winner YOSHIZAKI Ayano
Chairperson of the Organizing Committee YAMAGUCHI addressed the gathering first. He mentioned that the competition this year had attracted 291 applicants from 37 countries, of whom 18 had passed the video screening and gathered in Tokyo to deliver highly competent performances. He also expressed his gratitude to everyone involved.
Chairperson of the Panel of Judges OTAKA was the next to speak. He began by reminiscing about the first time he had participated in this competition, in 1970, and noting the remarkable improvement in the level of the contestants in recent years. He also recalled the previous competition, which was held despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed regret at having been unable to interact freely at that time. He then went on to give his overall assessment of this year’s competition. “It was a difficult job to screen close to 300 applicants based simply on video footage, but by the end of the first preliminary round, we knew that we had done a good job. We had selected highly competent conductors for the competition. For example, conducting the recitatives of Tamino and the Speaker from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute is very difficult, and we assumed that half the contestants would fail, but they all did a great job,” he said, citing a specific example.
Mr. OTAKA went on to say, “1st Prize winner MICHAILIDIS needs no further training to be a professional conductor. Any orchestra could perform under his guidance without hesitation. As proof of this, he was chosen for the Orchestra Award by the New Japan Philharmonic, which performed for the final round. 2nd Prize winner COURT-WOOD conducted magnificently, defying the commonly held belief that tall people cannot be good conductors. His conducting of the chosen piece for the final round allowed us to see a new side of Japanese composer Dai FUJIKURA. 3rd Prize winner YOSHIZAKI is still a young student, but she has good posture and an ability to express music honestly, and is highly likeable. She could participate in the competition again next time and aim for 1st Prize.” Mr. OTAKA’s remarks were light-hearted and included some humorous observations about the prizewinners. Incidentally, COURT-WOOD is 187cm tall, and MICHAILIDIS is quite tall too.
The winners shared their feelings after winning in a few words.
3rd Prize winner YOSHIZAKI said, “I feel very happy. I did not think I would be able to make it to the final round. I am glad I was able to perform. I was also able to learn about the areas I need to work on, and will pursue my studies to continue working on them. I am truly honored to have received the Saito Hideo Award as well.”
2nd Prize winner COURT-WOOD said, “This was my first conducting competition, and everyone was so highly competent that, at the end of the first round, I thought that this might end up being just a fun holiday for me. But I was able to perform with two great orchestras and come this far, and I am very thankful for the recognition. Comments from the judges have helped me understand the issues I need to work on.”
1st Prize winner MICHAILIDIS said, “First of all, I would like to thank the judges and all the other people involved in this competition. I am grateful to have been able to participate in such a sophisticated and brilliant competition. I still cannot believe the results. It will take a few days to sink in. I approached the competition as a battle with myself, not with others. It was my first time in Japan, but though I wasn’t able to see much of Tokyo, I was happy to be able to perform with two great orchestras and experience a little bit of Japanese culture. I would like to come to Japan again.”
During the Q&A session, the judges shared their thoughts on the competition and the points they judged contestants on.
Judge SHIMONO, who participated for the first time, said, “While technique is also important, I think the ability to create good music is more important. The contestants were of various ages, and there were a variety of factors, such as experience, manner of conducting rehearsals, and etiquette, to consider, but I think we settled on a good ranking.”
Judge TAKASEKI said, “There is such a thing as the right time to enter a competition, and I think MICHAILIDIS, who won 1st Prize, got the timing right. COURT-WOOD, who came in second, understood the texture of Japanese music well in FUJIKURA’s work. It is difficult for me to comment on 3rd Prize winner YOSHIZAKI’s performance as I taught her at university, but I am glad the Panel of Judges rated her highly.”
Judge HIROKAMI said, “All the judges had their own ranking of the contestants based on experience, maturity, future potential, and other factors, which is as it should be, but we came up with this final ranking based on discussions. Each one of the 18 contestants has his/her own special talent, and I hope they all receive continued encouragement.”
Judge SOUDANT from the Netherlands said, “This is my fifth time judging this competition, and audience numbers have continued to rise each time. This year’s competition was great, with the maturity level of contestants being the best I have seen so far. The contents of the competition also had the highest level of completeness. YOSHIZAKI, who came in third, performed Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem Death and Transfiguration for her free piece, and the music came straight from her soul. I think she has a promising future. As has already been mentioned, the 1st and 2nd prize winners were also wonderful.”
Judge KAMU from Finland said, “It would be difficult to find a wonderful competition such as this anywhere else in the world, with a gathering of such brilliant contestants and judges. Having two great orchestras ready for the contestants to conduct right away is nearly impossible elsewhere. I am truly grateful to the organizers, the Min-on Concert Association.”
Judge GEORGE, who is the producer of an orchestra in the UK and has visited Japan about 25 times, said, “I don’t think the age of the contestants matters. Finland, where Judge KAMU is from, also produces many young conductors. The level of this competition has been gradually improving, and this year’s performances had a high level of maturity. I feel like I have discovered a new Japanese conductor with YOSHIZAKI, who won 3rd Prize. In her conducting of Death and Transfiguration, the change from death to the world beyond was marvelous. 2nd Prize winner COURT-WOOD’s interpretation of FUJIKURA’s work, including giving it a storyline, was also brilliant.”
Judge ALEXANDER, President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, said, “This was my first time being invited to judge. I am an orchestra manager by profession, but I was very comfortable working together with the 18 contestants and other judges in this competition. All the contestants were highly competent, and I appreciated the fact that we had time to give feedback including to those who did not make it. Judge GEORGE and I are not conductors, but we are in contact with orchestras on a daily basis. There are many times I say to myself, “I wish they would do such and such,” so this opportunity to share my comments was very meaningful.”
Having heard everybody’s comments, Mr. OTAKA concluded by saying, “As mentioned, the ranking of contestants was decided by consensus. When I participated in the 2nd Min-On Competition, Kazuhiro KOIZUMI won 1st Prize, and I won the 2nd Prize. Ken’ichiro KOBAYASHI and Michiyoshi INOUE also participated in that competition. They did not win any prizes, but they have also been extremely active as conductors ever since. Herbert von KARAJAN and Leonard BERNSTEIN were of different ages, but they were great rivals during their time. I can see a similar future for all the contestants who participated this time.”
Finally, the three winners spoke about their journey as conductors so far and what inspired them to become conductors in the first place.
YOSHIZAKI said, “I learned to play the piano from a very young age, but my teacher taught me about different kinds of music, and I became interested in orchestras. I came to admire the Latvian conductor Mariss JANSONS and decided I wanted to become a conductor too.”
YOSHIZAKI said that she had been moved by the conductor’s ability to become one with the orchestra when, as an elementary school student, she saw him perform with an orchestra in Japan.
COURT-WOOD said, “I originally studied the violin and have performed as a violinist, and that experience has been very useful in conducting. When I studied music at university, I had to take conducting as part of the course. Most of my friends hated it, but I didn’t find it difficult, and it interested me.”
COURT-WOOD appeared to be the kind of person who enjoys creating music with a large group of friends. He obviously captured the hearts of the audience in the final round, as they voted him winner of the Audience Award.
Finally, MICHAILIDIS said, “My musical journey started with learning to play the piano and the violin. My older brother was a conductor, but I never thought I would do it myself. However, when I was studying music at university in the United States, I tried conducting and found it interesting. It made me think I may have the disposition to become a conductor. I do find conducting more enjoyable than performing myself.”
Born into a musical family in Greece, MICHAILIDIS studied abroad in the United States and Europe and built a career before entering this competition.
The press conference concluded with a photo session.
(Text by Nobuko HARANO)
- Koji YAMAGUCHI, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee and President of the Min-On Concert Association
- Tadaaki OTAKA, Chairperson of the Panel of Judges
- Members of the Panel of Judges (in alphabetical order): Jeff ALEXANDER, Mike GEORGE, Junichi HIROKAMI, Okko KAMU, Tatsuya SHIMONO, Hubert SOUDANT, Ken TAKASEKI
- Prize winners: 1st Prize and Orchestra Award winner, Kornilios Viktor MICHAILIDIS; 2nd Prize and Audience Award winner, Riley Holden COURT-WOOD, 3rd Prize and Hideo Saito Award winner YOSHIZAKI Ayano
Chairperson of the Organizing Committee YAMAGUCHI addressed the gathering first. He mentioned that the competition this year had attracted 291 applicants from 37 countries, of whom 18 had passed the video screening and gathered in Tokyo to deliver highly competent performances. He also expressed his gratitude to everyone involved.
Chairperson of the Panel of Judges OTAKA was the next to speak. He began by reminiscing about the first time he had participated in this competition, in 1970, and noting the remarkable improvement in the level of the contestants in recent years. He also recalled the previous competition, which was held despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed regret at having been unable to interact freely at that time. He then went on to give his overall assessment of this year’s competition. “It was a difficult job to screen close to 300 applicants based simply on video footage, but by the end of the first preliminary round, we knew that we had done a good job. We had selected highly competent conductors for the competition. For example, conducting the recitatives of Tamino and the Speaker from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute is very difficult, and we assumed that half the contestants would fail, but they all did a great job,” he said, citing a specific example.
Mr. OTAKA went on to say, “1st Prize winner MICHAILIDIS needs no further training to be a professional conductor. Any orchestra could perform under his guidance without hesitation. As proof of this, he was chosen for the Orchestra Award by the New Japan Philharmonic, which performed for the final round. 2nd Prize winner COURT-WOOD conducted magnificently, defying the commonly held belief that tall people cannot be good conductors. His conducting of the chosen piece for the final round allowed us to see a new side of Japanese composer Dai FUJIKURA. 3rd Prize winner YOSHIZAKI is still a young student, but she has good posture and an ability to express music honestly, and is highly likeable. She could participate in the competition again next time and aim for 1st Prize.” Mr. OTAKA’s remarks were light-hearted and included some humorous observations about the prizewinners. Incidentally, COURT-WOOD is 187cm tall, and MICHAILIDIS is quite tall too.
The winners shared their feelings after winning in a few words.
3rd Prize winner YOSHIZAKI said, “I feel very happy. I did not think I would be able to make it to the final round. I am glad I was able to perform. I was also able to learn about the areas I need to work on, and will pursue my studies to continue working on them. I am truly honored to have received the Saito Hideo Award as well.”
2nd Prize winner COURT-WOOD said, “This was my first conducting competition, and everyone was so highly competent that, at the end of the first round, I thought that this might end up being just a fun holiday for me. But I was able to perform with two great orchestras and come this far, and I am very thankful for the recognition. Comments from the judges have helped me understand the issues I need to work on.”
1st Prize winner MICHAILIDIS said, “First of all, I would like to thank the judges and all the other people involved in this competition. I am grateful to have been able to participate in such a sophisticated and brilliant competition. I still cannot believe the results. It will take a few days to sink in. I approached the competition as a battle with myself, not with others. It was my first time in Japan, but though I wasn’t able to see much of Tokyo, I was happy to be able to perform with two great orchestras and experience a little bit of Japanese culture. I would like to come to Japan again.”
During the Q&A session, the judges shared their thoughts on the competition and the points they judged contestants on.
Judge SHIMONO, who participated for the first time, said, “While technique is also important, I think the ability to create good music is more important. The contestants were of various ages, and there were a variety of factors, such as experience, manner of conducting rehearsals, and etiquette, to consider, but I think we settled on a good ranking.”
Judge TAKASEKI said, “There is such a thing as the right time to enter a competition, and I think MICHAILIDIS, who won 1st Prize, got the timing right. COURT-WOOD, who came in second, understood the texture of Japanese music well in FUJIKURA’s work. It is difficult for me to comment on 3rd Prize winner YOSHIZAKI’s performance as I taught her at university, but I am glad the Panel of Judges rated her highly.”
Judge HIROKAMI said, “All the judges had their own ranking of the contestants based on experience, maturity, future potential, and other factors, which is as it should be, but we came up with this final ranking based on discussions. Each one of the 18 contestants has his/her own special talent, and I hope they all receive continued encouragement.”
Judge SOUDANT from the Netherlands said, “This is my fifth time judging this competition, and audience numbers have continued to rise each time. This year’s competition was great, with the maturity level of contestants being the best I have seen so far. The contents of the competition also had the highest level of completeness. YOSHIZAKI, who came in third, performed Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem Death and Transfiguration for her free piece, and the music came straight from her soul. I think she has a promising future. As has already been mentioned, the 1st and 2nd prize winners were also wonderful.”
Judge KAMU from Finland said, “It would be difficult to find a wonderful competition such as this anywhere else in the world, with a gathering of such brilliant contestants and judges. Having two great orchestras ready for the contestants to conduct right away is nearly impossible elsewhere. I am truly grateful to the organizers, the Min-on Concert Association.”
Judge GEORGE, who is the producer of an orchestra in the UK and has visited Japan about 25 times, said, “I don’t think the age of the contestants matters. Finland, where Judge KAMU is from, also produces many young conductors. The level of this competition has been gradually improving, and this year’s performances had a high level of maturity. I feel like I have discovered a new Japanese conductor with YOSHIZAKI, who won 3rd Prize. In her conducting of Death and Transfiguration, the change from death to the world beyond was marvelous. 2nd Prize winner COURT-WOOD’s interpretation of FUJIKURA’s work, including giving it a storyline, was also brilliant.”
Judge ALEXANDER, President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, said, “This was my first time being invited to judge. I am an orchestra manager by profession, but I was very comfortable working together with the 18 contestants and other judges in this competition. All the contestants were highly competent, and I appreciated the fact that we had time to give feedback including to those who did not make it. Judge GEORGE and I are not conductors, but we are in contact with orchestras on a daily basis. There are many times I say to myself, “I wish they would do such and such,” so this opportunity to share my comments was very meaningful.”
Having heard everybody’s comments, Mr. OTAKA concluded by saying, “As mentioned, the ranking of contestants was decided by consensus. When I participated in the 2nd Min-On Competition, Kazuhiro KOIZUMI won 1st Prize, and I won the 2nd Prize. Ken’ichiro KOBAYASHI and Michiyoshi INOUE also participated in that competition. They did not win any prizes, but they have also been extremely active as conductors ever since. Herbert von KARAJAN and Leonard BERNSTEIN were of different ages, but they were great rivals during their time. I can see a similar future for all the contestants who participated this time.”
Finally, the three winners spoke about their journey as conductors so far and what inspired them to become conductors in the first place.
YOSHIZAKI said, “I learned to play the piano from a very young age, but my teacher taught me about different kinds of music, and I became interested in orchestras. I came to admire the Latvian conductor Mariss JANSONS and decided I wanted to become a conductor too.”
YOSHIZAKI said that she had been moved by the conductor’s ability to become one with the orchestra when, as an elementary school student, she saw him perform with an orchestra in Japan.
COURT-WOOD said, “I originally studied the violin and have performed as a violinist, and that experience has been very useful in conducting. When I studied music at university, I had to take conducting as part of the course. Most of my friends hated it, but I didn’t find it difficult, and it interested me.”
COURT-WOOD appeared to be the kind of person who enjoys creating music with a large group of friends. He obviously captured the hearts of the audience in the final round, as they voted him winner of the Audience Award.
Finally, MICHAILIDIS said, “My musical journey started with learning to play the piano and the violin. My older brother was a conductor, but I never thought I would do it myself. However, when I was studying music at university in the United States, I tried conducting and found it interesting. It made me think I may have the disposition to become a conductor. I do find conducting more enjoyable than performing myself.”
Born into a musical family in Greece, MICHAILIDIS studied abroad in the United States and Europe and built a career before entering this competition.
The press conference concluded with a photo session.
(Text by Nobuko HARANO)
