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DOORS OPEN - 6:00 PM | SHOWTIME - 7:00 PM
The highly-anticipated ANA 'Aha Mele is a follow-up to the ANA Honolulu Music Week. First held in 2019, the music festival paved the way for the promotion of Hawai’i’s rich cultural heritage and environment. In 2022, the festival was renamed ANA 'Aha Mele.
As part of ANA’s commitment to celebrating the culture and music of Japan and Hawaiʻi, the 2024 ANA ʻAha Mele will continue to feature Cliburn Gold Award-winning pianist NOBUYUKI TSUJII, and he will be performing for the first time at the Hawaii Theatre Center on Thursday 14 November 2024!
The critically-acclaimed performer is currently one of the most sought-after pianists in the world. He has performed with countless esteemed conductors and premier orchestras. Being born blind, Tsuji has been praised by fans and critics for his unique learning technique. Tsujii will learn orchestra pieces by ear in addition to Braille. During an interview, he mentioned, “I learn pieces by listening, but it doesn't mean I'm copying CDs or another person's interpretation. I ask my assistants to make a special cassette tape for me. They split the piece into small sections, such as several bars, and recorded it (one hand at a time). I call these tapes 'music sheets for ears.' It takes me a few days to complete a short piece, but it takes one month to complete a big sonata or concerto." Tsujji is also a phenomenon on stage. Not able to see the conductor, he said that he had learned the technique of listening to the conductor’s breath and sensing the events happening around him.
Nobuyuki Tsujii's Profile
Described by The Observer as the “definition of virtuosity” Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii (Nobu), who has been blind from birth, won the joint Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 and has gone on to earn an international reputation for the passion and excitement he brings to his live performances.
Nobu has appeared in concert with leading orchestras worldwide including Mariinsky Orchestra, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Tokyo Symphony and Japan Philharmonic orchestras, Seattle and Baltimore symphony orchestras, Filarmonica della Scala and the Sinfonieorchester Basel under the baton of conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Spivakov, Juanjo Mena and Vasily Petrenko. Nobu’s past appearances as a recitalist have seen him perform at prestigious venues across the world such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Vienna’s Musikverein.
Following a summer season that included critically acclaimed appearances with Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, at the Verbier Festival, the Snape Maltings Proms, Biarritz Piano Festival, Musica Mundi Festival, and the Festival de Menton, Nobu’s 2022/23 season sees him perform recital programmes at Carnegie Hall, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, and the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Nobu also features as a concerto soloist with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Domingo Hindoyan, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under Jiri Rozen, the Sarasota Orchestra, and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, in addition to numerous solo and concerto appearances across his native Japan. Earlier seasons have seen Nobu work with Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg under Kent Nagano and the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover under Andrew Manze. He received critical acclaim for his recitals at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, as well as his debut with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1130 Bethel St, Honolulu, HI, United States, Hawaii 96813