An Honorable Prize of MEXT Awarded to Ms. Momo Kodama
-For Momo Kodama Messiaen Project 2008 supported by USHIO-

We are pleased to announce that pianist Ms. Momo Kodama received the Art Encouragement Prize for Freshman of Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for 2008. The award recognizes her achievement in a series of five performances for the Messiaen Project 2008 held between September and December 2008 with the support of USHIO.

Ms. Momo Kodama is a pianist and long-term resident of France, who has performances that have drawn from her extensive repertoire of pieces from classical to contemporary music. USHIO supported Messiaen Project 2008 in recognition of the success that Ms. Kodama has achieved as a Japanese musician who has succeeded in international music.

For the performances, a digital projector Roadster S+16 of Christie Digital Systems of the USHIO Group was used, producing a collaboration of images and contemporary piano music that earned high marks from the music industry and other sectors.

This year, the Art Encouragement Prize of Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was given to 19 persons, including Kyoko Koizumi (actress), Yojiro Takita (film director), Kazumasa Oda (musician) and Bunchin Katsura (rakugo artist), and the Art Encouragement Prize for Freshman of Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was given to 11 persons including Yu Aoi (actress), Ringo Shiina (musician), Kamejiro Ichikawa (kabuki actor) and Keiichiro Hirano (novelist).

Ms. Kodama moved to Europe when she was just one year old. She was accepted at Le Conservatoire de Paris when she was 13, the youngest student ever accepted, and won many renowned competitions. Since making her debut at 17, she has earned significant renown by performing with numerous world-class orchestras, including Boston Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Seiji Ozawa. Currently based in Paris, Ms. Kodama remains very active.

Ms. Kodama performed the Catalogue d'Oiseaux (Birds’ Catalogue) and other major piano pieces on five occasions, in memory of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the master 20th century composer, Olivier-Eugène-Prosper-Charles Messiaen.