Suzuki Advocate Yasuki Nakamura has Died, Aged 82

Nakamura was responsible for training thousands of Australian violin students and their teachers

Yasuki Nakamura, who transformed the state of the Suzuki method in New South Wales, Australia, has passed away at the age of 82.

Born in 1942 in Tokyo, Japan, Nakamura first came to Australia at the suggestion of Shinichi Suzuki, founder of the method. Suzuki had in turn received a message from Harold Brissenden, who was then President of the Suzuki organization in New South Wales, requesting that a high-level Suzuki teacher come to the state to train Sydney-based teachers.

Alongside Brissenden, Nakamura greatly expanded the reach of the Suzuki program in Sydney, training thousands of young students — but his influence was most strongly felt in the way that he taught adult musicians to be Suzuki teachers.

Nakamura replaced Brissenden as NSW Suzuki Association President in the 1980s, and from this point, he began to travel across Australia to train teachers.

"As many of our members may know, Mr Nakamura is well known both at home and abroad for having trained many students and produced many excellent violinists in the Suzuki Method from Sydney," said Takao Mizushima, the President of Suzuki Music Sydney.

"His achievements are known and recognized not only within the Association, but also among many music organizations in Australia. We are very saddened to lose Mr Nakamura, whom we revere, as I believe that without his achievements, the current Suzuki Association in Sydney would not exist."

Nakamura is survived by his wife Yoshiko, and their children Masaki, Hikari, and Airena. Our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.