♪ June 4 Asahi News posting:
The 2009 Cliburn Competition ... I didn't know about it.
In those days, I lived under a rock, and the fanfare of Nobu's victory eluded me completely. It wasn't until 2010 that I chanced upon the documentary A surprise in Texas, and immediately succumbed to Nobu fever.
It is hard to believe that seven years have passed. I have followed Nobu's career zealously, and have come to realize just how fortunate Nobu was to have been at the right place at the right time to win that competition. I have also come to see that piano competitions are not necessary good things. Still, I am forever indebted to the Cliburn Competition, without which I would in all likelihood never have come to know Nobu at all.
There was a ton of postings about the competition. Please visit this page for some of the materials that I collected from the web =>https://sites.google.com/…/nobufans/a-miracle-at-the-cliburn
To commemorate the 7th anniversary of Nobu's Cliburn victory, I share below a handful of my very favorite images.
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Photo above: Nobu with the late Mr. Van Cliburn, at a barbecue event held during a break in the competition; I think Nobu was one of the few competitors who showed up, along with his mother and his host family. The cowboy hat was a gift from the Davidsons, Nobu's host family, who dressed him up in grand Texas style. (Nobu looks good in his cowboy outfit!) A Fort Worth reporter wrote that he overheard Mr. Cliburn speaking excitedly after seeing Nobu perform Chopin's Op. 10 etudes in the first round.
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Photo above: Nobu was surrounded by women throughout the competition. Here, from left: Kay Nakamoto (interpreter, in pink), (in back) an assistant music instructor who flew in from Tokyo, mother Isuko Tsujii (in orange), and Fort Worth host family doyenne Carol Davidson (in yellow).
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Photo above: Conductor James Conlon led Nobuyuki Tsujii back to the stage to accept further applause after his spellbinding performance of the Chopin Concerto No. 1 in the final round of the 2009 Van Cliburn Piano competition, with the Fort Worth Orchestra cheering on. The audience in Bass Hall was on their feet instantly after the last note of the performance. In the photo, you can see the facial expressions of many of the orchestra members, some of them in tears.
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Photo above: Nobu receives his medal from Mr. Cliburn. Nobu said he was completely taken by surprise when his name was announced, and that he didn't expect to win at all.
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Photo above: Nobu, flushed with happiness, hoists his trophy.
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Photo above: Nobu was met with a mob of reporters (12 TV crews, it was written) and adoring fans at the airport, upon returning to Tokyo from Texas.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Related pages:
A miracle at the Cliburn
A surprise in Texas
Nobu Fever
How I Caught "Nobu Fever"
Terms of Endearment.
6月7日 今日は何の日
辻井伸行さん、米・国際ピアノコンクールで優勝（平成21年）...
生 まれつき全盲の辻井伸行さん（２０）が７日、米国のバン・クライバーン国際ピアノコンクールで優勝した。辻井さんは幼いころから「神童」と注目を集めてき た。中国人男性とともに２人が１位となった。辻井さんはテキサス州フォートワースの会場で「両親をはじめ、サポートしてくれたみなさんに喜びの気持ちを伝 えたい」と語った。《朝日新聞》
"June 7, What Happened Today
Nobuyuki Tsujii won US and the International Piano Competition (2009) ... On this day, Nobuyuki Tsujii (age 20), born blind, won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition of the United States. Mr. Tsujii has been attracting attention as a 'child prodigy' since an early age. He shared the first prize with a Chinese. Mr. Tsujii said, at the venue in Fort Worth, Texas: 'With a joyful feeling, I want to thank everyone who supports me, including my parents.'"
辻井伸行さん、米・国際ピアノコンクールで優勝（平成21年）...
生 まれつき全盲の辻井伸行さん（２０）が７日、米国のバン・クライバーン国際ピアノコンクールで優勝した。辻井さんは幼いころから「神童」と注目を集めてき た。中国人男性とともに２人が１位となった。辻井さんはテキサス州フォートワースの会場で「両親をはじめ、サポートしてくれたみなさんに喜びの気持ちを伝 えたい」と語った。《朝日新聞》
"June 7, What Happened Today
Nobuyuki Tsujii won US and the International Piano Competition (2009) ... On this day, Nobuyuki Tsujii (age 20), born blind, won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition of the United States. Mr. Tsujii has been attracting attention as a 'child prodigy' since an early age. He shared the first prize with a Chinese. Mr. Tsujii said, at the venue in Fort Worth, Texas: 'With a joyful feeling, I want to thank everyone who supports me, including my parents.'"
The 2009 Cliburn Competition ... I didn't know about it.
In those days, I lived under a rock, and the fanfare of Nobu's victory eluded me completely. It wasn't until 2010 that I chanced upon the documentary A surprise in Texas, and immediately succumbed to Nobu fever.
It is hard to believe that seven years have passed. I have followed Nobu's career zealously, and have come to realize just how fortunate Nobu was to have been at the right place at the right time to win that competition. I have also come to see that piano competitions are not necessary good things. Still, I am forever indebted to the Cliburn Competition, without which I would in all likelihood never have come to know Nobu at all.
There was a ton of postings about the competition. Please visit this page for some of the materials that I collected from the web =>https://sites.google.com/…/nobufans/a-miracle-at-the-cliburn
To commemorate the 7th anniversary of Nobu's Cliburn victory, I share below a handful of my very favorite images.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Related pages:
A miracle at the Cliburn
A surprise in Texas
Nobu Fever
How I Caught "Nobu Fever"
Terms of Endearment.