Blind Japanese pianist shares first prize at U.S. competition

TOKYO, June 8 Kyodo - Blind Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii shared first prize with Chinese pianist
Zhang Haochen at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition on
Sunday, according to the organizer of the event in Fort Worth, Texas.
Tsujii, 20, a Tokyo native who was born blind, and Zhang, 19, were each awarded
$20,000.
Tsujii began learning the piano when he was 2 years and 3 months old, his
father, Takashi, a 52-year-old doctor, said, adding that he discovered Tsujii's
talent when he played Jingle Bells on a toy piano after hearing his mother sing
it.
Tsujii went up on stage with his mother, Itsuko, 49, to receive the cup.
In the competition's final round, Tsujii played pieces including Chopin's Piano
Concerto No. 1 in E minor and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor.
It is the first time a Japanese pianist has won the competition, which was
launched in 1962.
Tsujii made his debut as a concert pianist in 1998 and has played numerous
concerts including with major Japanese orchestras.
He is a student of Ueno Gakuen University in Tokyo.
==Kyodo
2009-06-08 22:33:43