KYOTO, Japan - (Business Wire) The Inamori Foundation (non-profit; President: Dr. Kazuo Inamori) today presented its 25th Kyoto Prize in “Arts and Philosophy” to Maestro Pierre Boulez. The Kyoto Prize is Japan’s highest private award for global achievement, honoring significant contributions to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of humankind. Today’s ceremony marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Prize – a major milestone in the history of the award, which is presented annually in three categories: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. The laureates received a diploma, a 20-karat-gold Kyoto Prize medal, and a cash gift totaling 50 million yen (approximately US$550,000) per prize category.
For 2009, the Kyoto Prize in the category of “Arts and Philosophy” focuses on the field of Music. Maestro Pierre Boulez (citizenship: France; b. 1925) received the award for lifelong achievements in music composition, conducting, writing, and organizational operation that have consistently set new trends.
He is an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, author, and honorary director of the Paris-based Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustic/Music (IRCAM).
Maestro Boulez ranks among the most notable leaders of postwar Western music, with profound artistic influence. In the early years of his career, he contributed to both the theoretical and practical advancement of serialism, winning fame as the “greatest composer of serial music.” His works from the 1950s (including Structures for Two Pianos, Book I and Le marteau sans maître) further developed the methodologies of Olivier Messiaen and René Leibowitz, under whom he had studied, while creating strong links to major musical trends forged by such artists as Claude Debussy, Anton Webern and Igor Stravinsky.
In later works, Maestro Boulez adopted the concept of “aleatory,” or controlled chance. During this period, he also published stimulating and thought-provoking literary works. As a conductor, he founded the Domaine Musical concert society in 1954 with a modernist repertoire; by the late 1960s, he had begun expanding into classical, romantic, modern and contemporary genres.
In the 1970s, Maestro Boulez assumed directorship of the Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustic/Music (IRCAM) at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. There he devoted himself to the development of software and hardware for computer-based real-time audio processing, becoming a pioneer in the advancement of computer music. Maestro Boulez remains active in music today, recording and conducting leading orchestras around the world.
Maestro Boulez is one of four 2009 Kyoto Prize recipients. The others include:
- In “Advanced Technology,” Dr. Isamu Akasaki, 80, a semiconductor scientist, university professor at Nagoya University and professor at Meijo University in Japan.
- In “Basic Sciences,” Drs. Peter R. and B. Rosemary Grant, both 73, evolutionary biologists, professors emeriti at Princeton University, and the first husband-and-wife team to receive the award.
The laureates will reconvene in San Diego, Calif., April 20-22, 2010, for the ninth annual Kyoto Prize Symposium at San Diego State University; University of California, San Diego; and University of San Diego. For three days, the symposium will allow an international audience to learn about the latest Kyoto Prize laureates and participate in one-of-a-kind public presentations not seen anywhere else in the world.
About the Inamori Foundation
The non-profit Inamori Foundation was established in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) and KDDI Corporation. The Kyoto Prize was founded in 1985, in line with Dr. Inamori’s belief that a human being has no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of society, and that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between our scientific progress and our spiritual depth. An emblematic feature of the Kyoto Prize is that it is presented not only in recognition of outstanding achievements, but also in honor of the excellent personal characteristics that have shaped those achievements. The laureates are selected through a strict and impartial process considering candidates recommended from around the world. As of November 10, 2009, the Kyoto Prize has been awarded to 81 individuals and one group – collectively representing 13 nations, and ranging from scientists, engineers and researchers to philosophers, painters, architects, sculptors, musicians and film directors. The United States has produced the most recipients (33), followed by Japan (13), the United Kingdom (12), and France (8).
For more information and/or photos, visit: www.kyotoprize.org.
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