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Pierre Boulez to Receive Inamori Foundation's 25th Annual Kyoto Prize for Lifetime Achievement in "Arts and Philosophy"
World-renowned composer, conductor to receive $500,000 prize November 10 in Kyoto, Japan
KYOTO, JAPAN — June 19, 2009 – The Inamori Foundation (non-profit; President: Dr. Kazuo Inamori) today announced that Mr. Pierre Boulez will be among the 25th annual laureates of its Kyoto Prize, an international award honoring significant contributions to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Prize – a major milestone in the history of the award, which is presented on November 10 each year in three categories.
For 2009, the Kyoto Prize in the category of "Arts and Philosophy" focuses on the field of Music. Mr. Boulez, 84, will receive the award for lifelong achievements in music composition, conducting, writing, and organizational operation that have consistently set new trends.
Mr. Boulez is an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor and honorary director of the Paris-based Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustic/Music (IRCAM).
He 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 mâtre) 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, Mr. 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, Mr. 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. Mr. Boulez remains active in music today, recording and conducting leading orchestras around the world.
In addition to Mr. Boulez, this year's Kyoto Prize laureates include, in "Advanced Technology," Dr. Isamu Akasaki, 80, a semiconductor scientist, university professor at Nagoya University and professor at Meijo University in Japan; and, in "Basic Sciences," Drs. Peter R. and B. Rosemary Grant, both 72, evolutionary biologists, professors emeriti at Princeton University, and the first husband-and-wife team named to receive the award.
Each Kyoto Prize laureate will be presented with a diploma, a 20-karat-gold Kyoto Prize medal, and a cash gift totaling 50 million yen (approximately US$500,000) per prize category during a week of ceremonies beginning November 9, 2009, in Kyoto. The laureates will reconvene in San Diego, Calif., April 20-22, 2010, for the ninth annual Kyoto Prize Symposium.
About the Inamori Foundation
The non-profit Inamori Foundation was established in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera 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 the 24th Kyoto Prize ceremony (November 10, 2008), the Kyoto Prize has been awarded to 77 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 (12), the United Kingdom (10), and France (7).