Conductor Kazushi Ono Awarded Prestigious Japanese Arts Prize

55 year old Japanese conductor Kazushi Ono has today been announced as the recipient of the 2015 Japanese Asahi Prize - for outstanding accomplishments in the field of arts and academics.

Presented since 1929 by the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbum, the prestigious award acknowledges a Japanese individual who has contributed significantly to the development and progress of Japanese culture and society at large.

Ono is the first musician to receive the accolade since conductor Seiji Ozawa in 1985.

A protege of Wolfgang Sawallisch and Giuseppe Patanè, Ono has served Principal conducting positions with the Zagreb Philharmonic, Baden State Opera, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Barcelona Symphony and the Lyon Opera.