Nobuyuki Tsujii Japanese blind musician plays the piano Country: Japan

Biography of Nobuyuki Tsujii

Nobuyuki Tsujii was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1988. Despite being blind, he showed a remarkable talent for playing the piano from a young age. In 1995, at the age of seven, he won first prize in the instrumental music category at the All Japan Blind Students Music Competition. This early success led him to enroll in the Tokyo Music School the same year.

At the age of ten, in 1998, Tsujii made his debut on a special concert with the Century Osaka Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by his guide Tetsudzi Honda. He continued to impress audiences and in 1999, at the age of eleven, he won the gold prize at the Piano Teachers' National Association Piano Competition.

Tsujii's talent continued to shine, and in 2000, at the age of twelve, he made his debut with his first solo concert at the Santori Hall in Tokyo. Just a year later, he performed his second solo concert. Since then, Tsujii has performed at numerous music concerts throughout Japan, including the Kobe Music Festival. In 2002, he performed at the Youth Music Concert with Yutako Sado.

In the same year, Tsujii's performance of Mozart and Chopin's piano concertos, accompanied by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and conductor Seikio Kim, at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, was a huge success. His fame extended beyond Japan, as he made his debut in America at Carnegie Hall in New York, performed in Russia at the Moscow Conservatory's Grand Hall, and in the Czech Republic and Taiwan.

In 2002, Tsujii also performed with the Concerts Lamoureux, the Paris Symphony Orchestra, with the guidance of Yutako Sado. In October 2005, he received the Critics' Award at the 15th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition, held in Warsaw, Poland.

Since 2003, Tsujii has been a student at Aoyama Gakuin University. He has studied under esteemed teachers such as Masako Masuyama, Masashiro Kawakami, Yukari Kawakami, Yukio Yokoyama, and Kioko Tabe. His repertoire includes works by Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Schumann.

Awards:
2005: Frederick Chopin International Piano Competition, Semi-Finalist & Critics' Award.
1999: Piano Teachers' National Association Piano Competition (Japan), Gold Prize.
1995: All Japan Blind Students Music Competition, First Prize.