Nobuyuki Tsujii is one of Japans most popular and talented pianists. He learned to play piano by only listening to tunes and voices. Through a disease Nobuyuki was born blind which didn’t prevent him from starting a successful career as a musician. Who is this very talented young man?
Nobuyuki Tsujii, born in 1988, started his way as a musician at the age of two when he played the piano only by listening to his mother’s humming. Two years later he began his formal piano studies which was the beginning of his path as one of the most popular Japanese pianist. In spite of his young age Nobuyuki can already look back on a successful career: In 1995, Nobuyuki – seven years old by this time – won the first prize at the “All Japan Music of Blind Students” by the Tokyo Helen Keller Association. In 1998, he debuted with the Century Orchestra, Osaka. At the age of 12 Nobuyuki played his first ever piano recital in the small hall of Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. Short after his national debut he had his first overseas concerts in the United States, France and Russia. By the age of 17 he had already taken part in famous competitions, such like the “Van Cliburn International Piano Competition” or the “International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition”. In 2011 Nobuyuki finished his formal piano studies and graduated at the Ueno Gakuen University, Tokyo. By today Nobuyuki Tsujii won several competitions and a number of prizes. And he was even the topic of a documentary: The film “Touching the Sound”, produced by Peter Rosen in 2014, documents the life of Nobuyuki from his birth until 2011, when he debuted at the Carnegie Hall In New York City.
However Nobuyuki is not only an extraordinary musician but also a very talented composer. At the age of 12 he perfomed his first own composition “Street Corner of Vienna” and he has relaesed numerous albums with his compositions since then. In 2011, as a composer for film music he was one of the recipients at the Japan Film Critics Award where he won the category for the best Film Music Artist.
At SEKISUI’s 70th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony the audience had the chance to listen to Nobuyuki’s great abilities at the piano. SEKISUI is very honoured that such a talented musician composed the commemoration piece “Bright Futures” for the 70thanniversary.
As I composed this piece, I imagined everyone at SEKISUI working hard with their friends and family in their hearts, feeling content as they head home after a day’s work, and their bright futures spreading wonderfully before them, Nobuyuki says.
During the ceremony he played “Bright Futures” alongside with some other classical pieces, such as from Chopin or Debussy, and some other own compositions. Everyone was amazed by Nobuyuki’s performance, his abilities and by the young man himself.
