Idemitsu Music Award
What is the Idemitsu Music Award?
In 1990, the Idemitsu Music Award was established to commemorate the 25th anniversary of "Untitled Concert Concert," which began broadcasting in 1964. This award supports promising young and up-and-coming musicians as a way to contribute to the advancement of music culture in Japan. To date, 121 individuals and one organization have received the award 35 times. We consider "culture," which fosters richness of spirit, as one of the pillars of our corporate citizenship activities, and we will continue to weave the history of the Idemitsu Music Award, which connects people and future generations.
The winners of the 35th Idemitsu Music Awards
Ayaka Taniguchi
Violist
Wataru Hisasue
Pianist
Kanahi Yamashita
Guitarist
The date for the gala concert featuring the winners of the 35th Idemitsu Music Award will be announced as soon as it is decided.
The 34th Idemitsu Music Awards Ceremony and Gala Concert
The 34th award ceremony and a commemorative concert for the winners (gala concert) will be held at Showa Women's University Hitomi Memorial Hall on January 21, 2026.
In the "Close-up Report on the Award Winners (TV Asahi Post)" below, you can see interviews with the three award winners after they finished performing, as well as with the selection committee members who were present at the event.
Broadcast date of this concert: Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:00-10:30 AM on TV Asahi's "Untitled Concert Concert"
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Broadcast times vary by region. For details,To the program's official website
Close-up Report on the award winners (TV Asahi POST)
Past winners of the Idemitsu Music Award
Selection Overview
| Purpose and Content | Three to five up-and-coming musicians who have demonstrated outstanding achievements throughout the year will be selected and awarded the prize. Each winner will receive a prize of 3 million yen. |
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| Selection Criteria | ・From a development perspective, we place emphasis on motivation, talent, and future potential, rather than simply on the level of completion. ・In principle, the award will be open to applicants in the fields of composition, performance, academic research, etc. in the classical music category, but the selection process will be flexible. ・In principle, recipients must be up to 30 years of age and primarily be musicians living and active in Japan. |
| Selection Process | As part of the preliminary selection process, a recommendation committee will recommend candidates. The selection committee will select the candidates from the preliminary selection process and the Board of Directors will approve them. |
| Selection Committee | Shinichiro Ikebe (Composer)
Kazushi Ishida (Music critic) Yoshio Unno (Violinist) Kaori Kimura (Pianist) Toshimitsu Kimura (Vocalist) Kazuki Yamada (Conductor) Miho Onikubo ("Untitled Concert" Producer) |
(Reference)
*For winner profiles and details about the Idemitsu Music Awards, please refer to the press release "The 35th Idemitsu Music Awards" below.
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The winners of the 35th Idemitsu Music Awards have been decided.
https://www.idemitsu.com/jp/news/2025/260323.pdf（Japanese Only）