VC Artist Hina Maeda Receives Japan's Izumi Music Award

Maeda will receive a cash prize of 3 million Yen

VC Artist Hina Maeda has been named as one of three recipients of Japan's Izumi Music Award, alongside violinist Kasunori Tozawa and pianist Keigo Mukawa.

Established in 1990 as the Exposure Music Award, the Izumi Award commemorates the 25th anniversary of the "Music Without a Title," a Japanese program which first began broadcasting in 1964. The award is intended to support the activities of promising young musicians who are in the establishing phase of their careers, as well as promoting music and culture more broadly.

Every year, 3-5 musicians are selected for the honor, and each receives a cash prize of 3 million yen (approximate $20,000 USD).

The first prize winner of the 16th edition of the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in 2022, Hina Maeda was born in 2002 in Osaka and started playing the violin at age 4. She completed her studies at the Tokyo College of Music High School and continued on to the Tokyo College of Music with a special scholarship. She is currently studying under Machie Oguri, Koichiro Harada, and Mayuko Kamio.

At the Wieniaeski Competition, she was also awarded four additional special prizes: for the best rendition of Wieniawski’s Concerto, the best performance of Wieniawski’s Caprice, the best performance of a sonata, and the best performance of works by Beethoven or Brahms.