[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2939-S2940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNITION OF MR. SEIJI OZAWA

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
celebrate one of this Nation's brightest stars, Mr. Seiji Ozawa, who 
has presided over the Boston Symphony Orchestra as music director for 
the last 29 years. On April 20, Seiji will conduct the BSO in Mahler's 
Ninth Symphony and the conclusion of that performance will mark the 
final installation of his work in Massachusetts. The enthusiasm and 
precision he brings to his craft are legendary, and as he prepares to 
assume his new post at the Vienna State Opera, I want to take a moment 
to join people throughout Massachusetts and across the country in 
expressing our gratitude for the contributions he has made during his 
time with the BSO.
  For the last three decades Seiji Ozawa has challenged colleagues with 
his innovative interpretations and charmed audiences with his playful 
energy and focus. Through award-winning recordings, and celebrated 
performances in cities around the world, he has brought the beauty and 
insight of classical music to life for people of all ages. His service 
to the BSO stands as the longest continuous directorship in the history 
of the symphony, surpassing even Serge Koussevitzky, who held the baton 
from 1924 to 1949. Throughout that time, Seiji has lent his skills to 
the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Orchestre de 
France and the Paris Opera, where he presided over the debut of 
Messiaen's ``Saint Francois d'Assise.''
  Seiji began his musical journey by enrolling at the Toho Music School 
in Tokyo, Japan, as a child. A rugby injury changed his original plans 
of becoming a concert pianist and soon after he shifted focus to the 
unique art of conducting. Once Seiji settled on this pursuit, his 
instructor at the Toho School, Mr. Hideo Saito, urged him to travel 
abroad and refine his skills. Following that advice, he won first prize 
at the International Competition of Orchestral Conductors, in Besancon, 
France in 1959. This accolade earned Seiji an invitation in 1960 from 
Charles Munch, then music director of the BSO, to study at the 
Tanglewood Music Center. That first Tanglewood visit resulted in Seiji 
winning the Koussevitzky Prize for outstanding student conductor, and 
it also marked the beginning of a mutual love affair between 
Massachusetts and the young conductor.
  Upon completion of his studies, Seiji moved to West Berlin to work 
with Herbert von Karajan. It was here that Seiji's unique presentation 
and style caught the eye of Leonard Bernstein, and upon returning to 
the United States he accepted Bernstein's offer to serve as assistant 
conductor of the New York Philharmonic for 1961 and 1962. In 1964, he 
conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, raising the 
baton in a concert hall where he had studied just 4 years before. Word 
continued to spread about the enthusiastic Ozawa, and offers came in 
from orchestras around the world. Seiji

[[Page S2940]]

decided on becoming the music director of the Ravinia Festival in 
Chicago, where he remained for five summers, and then moved to the 
Toronto Symphony until 1969. After a brief period with the San 
Francisco Symphony, Seiji became artistic director at Tanglewood in 
1970, and was subsequently asked to assume the role of music director 
for the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1973.
  It has been during his time with the BSO that Seiji became the 
cultural icon that we celebrate this year. In 1976, he was honored with 
an Emmy Award for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's PBS television 
series, ``Evening at Symphony.'' In 1994, he won a second Emmy Award 
for Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming, in recognition of 
his work ``Dvorak in Prague: A Celebration with the Boston Symphony 
Orchestra.'' In a nod to his early instructor and the Japanese heritage 
he has proudly shared with the world, he co-founded the Saito Kinen 
Festival in Japan, which will provide young people the same chance he 
had to learn the arts of conducting and performing. The academic 
community of my home state has recognized Seiji's tremendous talent 
with honorary Doctor of Music degrees from the University of 
Massachusetts, the New England Conservatory of Music and Wheaton 
College, and certainly our beloved Red Sox have never had a more 
enthusiastic supporter.
  Seiji arrived in Massachusetts as a young man finishing his education 
and beginning his professional ascension. After April 20, he will leave 
the Boston Symphony Orchestra a true master of his craft. While he has 
been guided by a deep respect for the past and its masters, Seiji 
remains the consummate modernist; a solitary individual fueled by an 
instinctual fascination and hunger for the unexplored frontier of the 
future.
  My constituents and I have been so proud to host Mr. Ozawa over these 
last three decades. For the rest of his career we will proudly think of 
him as one of our own in Massachusetts, and I join my constituents in 
thanking Seiji Ozawa for the invaluable contributions he has made 
throughout his time at Tanglewood and with the Boston Symphony 
Orchestra.

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