Nobuyuki Tsujii: Joint Gold Medalist of the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Blind since birth, Nobuyuki Tsujii has overcome many obstacles to become one of the most talked-about young pianists in the world.  Tsujii’s natural gift for music and tireless work ethic has catapulted him to rock star status in Japan and brought him recognition world-wide. The 23 year old was joint-winner of top position at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 and has continued to explore his love for music, traveling alongside some of the best orchestras in the world.

At the age of 2, Nobuyuki Tsujii was playing “Jingle Bells” by ear on a toy piano. He began studying piano formally at the age of 4 and quickly impressed peers and teachers alike. In 1998, at the age of 10, Tsujii had his orchestral debut with the Century Orchestra in Osaka, Japan. In 2005, the rising star entered into the 15th International Frederik Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, receiving the Critics’ Award for his outstanding performance. Noboyuki was featured prominently in the 2009 documentary “A Surprise in Texas,” which followed the practices and performances of the competitors in the international Van Cliburn piano competition. 

Not only does Tsujii excel at performing, but he is an accomplished composer as well. In 2010, the young artist composed the theme music from a Japanese feature film and television drama series. As well, Nobuyuki composed the entire score for the Japanese film “The Return of the Hayabusa” released in February 2012. He has performed in a number of charity concerts, raising money on behalf of the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which included a UNESCO concert in Paris on March 11, 2012.

Nobuyuki Tsujii’s concerts are unforgettable and mesmerizing. As chief music critic for the Boston Globe Richard Dyer remarked, “Very seldom do I close my notebook and just give myself over to it, and he made that necessary. I didn’t want to be interrupted in what I was hearing.” It’s impossible to not be sucked in by the young pianist’s powerful compositional and technical skill.