1. > Top Page
  2. > About JASRAC
  3. > JASRAC Music Culture Award
  4. > “The Sixth JASRAC Music Culture Award”

“The Sixth JASRAC Music Culture Award”

JASRAC Music Culture Award was established in November 2014 to shed light on individuals, organizations and works in various fields that contribute to the development of music culture, through important activities that may otherwise not be heralded or lead to impressive statistics in sales and works usage, to provide encouragement for future endeavor.

The sixth award was presented to the following individuals and organization by Michio Asaishi, President of JASRAC, in the award ceremony held in Tokyo on November 18, 2019. The recepients were presented with plaques and additional prizes.

Kazuo Shimamura

Reason behind his receiving the award

While working as a city official in social education and welfare, Kazuo Shimamura shared his pleasure in music as a member of the public, through activities such as playing in an amateur band and starting a public-participation musical theatre group. He travelled in and out of the prefecture to perform educational concerts to eliminate various prejudices and discrimination. After retiring, he has been active as an advocacy singer-songwriter, delivering musical instruments to children in the area hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake as well as performing at related concerts, and creating theme songs for charity events to support cancer patients.

Comments

Thank you very much for focusing on the activity of a city official of Shikoku. I want to spread the joy of music with children who have future, elderly people and people who are facing difficulties.

Profile of the awardee
Kazuo Shimamura was born in 1949 in Kurume city, Fukuoka Prefecture. In 1968, he started working for the Kochi city office, involved in youth education, social education, and anti-discrimination measures. In 1977, he formed the adult music group ‘Guupiipaa’, and released two albums. In 1985, he won the Ryoma no Uta Taisho (Ryoma Song Grand Prix) at the Ryoma Music Festival with his own composition, the “RYOMA Samba“. In 1989, he was the leader and music producer of for Musical RYOMA, which included 100 members of the public as performers. Since 1992, he has put his efforts into running concerts and musicals to advocate for issues in human rights. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, he set up Itteki no Kai and delivered a total of 33 pianos to three prefectures in the Tohoku region. He has written theme songs for events hosted by the Japan Cancer Society in several regions.

Yoshimichi Hamada

Reason behind his receiving the award

Highlighting the genre of “ancient music”, including Baroque, Renaissance and Medieval styles that are not widely known, and early European music introduced to Japan during the Sengoku period (end of the 15th century to the end of the 16th century), Yoshimichi Hamada is continuing his activities to reawaken an interest in these traditions for a modern audience. His activities are extensive, from music director and conductor for baroque operas and music festivals, to operating and performing with an ancient music ensemble, production of anime music, TV program appearance, and writing. In August this year, he successfully ran the Da Vinci Music Festival, a festival of ancient music.

Comments

I was surprised to receive this award since I was playing works in the public domain which was made in the Mid Renaissance. I am more than happy to being recognized that my activities is contributing to the society. Thank you very much.

Profile of the awardee
Yoshimichi Hamada hails from the fourth generation of a musical family and is a great-grandson of the founder of Toyo Ongaku Gakko (now Tokyo College of Music), the first private music college in Japan. After graduating from the Period-instrument course at the Toho Gakuen College Music Department, he studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis on a Swiss government scholarship. In Europe, he participated in numerous performances and CD recordings, including at the Concerto Palatino. Back in Japan, while he taught at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation, he formed Anthonello, an ancient music ensemble. He has been energetically active, having started the project Opera Fresca to perform mainly early operas including the Japanese premier of G. Caccini's L'Euridice. In August this year, he revived and arranged the performance of the stage opera L'Orfeo, rumored to have included Leonardo Da Vinci among its creators.

Mitsuru Hirai

Reason behind his receiving the award

Over thirty years since he was a high school teacher, Mitsuru Hirai privately hosted nearly 400 salon concerts, inviting leading classical musicians without relying on public funds. After he retired, he has utilized his passion and skill for organizing performances at public halls, making great effort and exceeding fans’ expectations for concerts at local venues. He has supported struggling private classical concert hosts in regional areas, and wrote a book to advise music lovers or small citizen groups on repeatedly hosting quality concerts, and likely issues arising.

Comments

Although it costs a lot of money to hold a chamber music concert, I have been believing that it can be organized without relying on taxes if it is well-devised. It has been 30 years with trial and error. I would like to continue my activity with this award.

Profile of the awardee
Mitsuru Hirai was born in Yokohama in 1949. After graduating with a master’s degree from Toyo University Graduate School, he worked at Shonan Gakuen junior and senior high school teaching social studies. On the way home from the funeral of his friend and conductor Akeo Watanabe, he and several friends decided to set up the Kugenuma Chamber Music Society, establishing it in 1990. While teaching, he put his efforts into running salon concerts “to enjoy top-class performance in a space that is meant for chamber music”. Taking the opportunity of retirement in 2010, he also started producing music at public halls, becoming the leader of the Yokohama Gakuyukai, and helping to set up the Ebina Gakuyu Kyokai in 2011. In 2017, he co-authored Classic Concert wo Tsukuru. Tsuzukeru (Creating and Maintaining Classical Concerts).