Photo: Photo by Don Hunstein, New York / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Seiji Ozawa is, to me, simply one of the towering figures of twentieth-century music. Born in Shenyang, trained under Hideo Saito at Toho, he led the Boston Symphony for an astonishing 29 years and later conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert, a height few Japanese musicians have reached. The garland of honors, the Order of Culture, Kennedy Center Honors, Legion of Honour, only hints at his stature. What moves me most is the lifelong devotion behind it. His passing in 2024 closed an era, yet the sound he shaped endures. I hold him in the deepest respect.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Seiji Ozawa
- Name (Japanese)
- 小澤征爾
- Reading
- 不明
- Born
- September 1, 1935 – February 6, 2024
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Boar
- Origin
- Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- conductor / music director / musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 2008 Order of Culture
- Emmy Award
- 2011 Praemium Imperiale
- Order of Friendship
- 1999 Kikuchi Kan Prize
- Kennedy Center Honors
- 2001 Person of Cultural Merit
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.ozawa-festival.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/seijiozawa_official/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B0%8F%E6%BE%A4%E5%BE%81%E7%88%BE
Frequently asked questions
When was Seiji Ozawa born?
September 1, 1935 – February 6, 2024.
Where is Seiji Ozawa from?
Seiji Ozawa is from Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
What does Seiji Ozawa do?
Seiji Ozawa works as conductor, music director, musician.
Conductor — see all → · Music director — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.