Ottawa, July 14, 2011 – Canadian cellist
Kaori Yamagami, who has been mastering the cello since the age of three, is the 2011 recipient of the Virginia Parker Prize, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Kaori Yamagami was chosen by a jury through the Council’s peer assessment committee process. The $25,000 prize was established in 1982 by Virginia Parker for Canadian performers of classical music under the age of 32, who demonstrate outstanding talent and musicianship.
“I am extremely honoured to be the winner of the 2011 Virginia Parker Prize. I hope to live up to all the expectations which come with this honour,” said the internationally recognized cellist. “One of my largest hopes is to be more present as an artist in Canada. I am eternally grateful for the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which made a significant difference in my development as a musician and played a huge role in where I am today.”
“Kaori Yamagami is an exciting choice for the Virginia Parker Award because she is an exceptional cellist,” said Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, Robert Sirman. “She represents the wealth of talent that continues to make Canada shine on the international stage.”
Download images of Kaori Yamagami.
Originally from Toronto, Kaori Yamagami began studying the cello in 1985 at the age of three, making her first public appearance by age six at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Since then, the cellist has been invited both as soloist and chamber musician by numerous important orchestras and festivals in North America, Europe and Asia. Yamagami is a prize winner at the International Rostropovich Competition in Paris. She was successful in the 2003 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank competition and won the loan of the 1696 Bonjour Stradivari cello and the Shaw Adam bow, which she had the opportunity to play for three years.
Kaori Yamagami studied at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she enrolled at the age of 13. She continued at the New England Conservatory in Boston, moving to Cologne, Germany in 2003 to study with Frans Helmerson, for whom she worked as a teaching assistant at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. There, she graduated with both Diplom and Konzertexamen degrees in 2010.
Kaori Yamagami is based in Cologne and works in Amsterdam as the principle cellist for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. She plays on a 1682 Giovanni Grancino cello on loan to her by a private donor, as she continues to pursue her solo and chamber music career in Europe, Asia and North America.
In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council for the Arts is committed to raising public awareness and celebration of these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and international level. Find complete listing of these awards.
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