Kazuo Yamada

was a Japanese conductor and composer. Early life Kazuo Yamada was born in Tokyo in 1912. He began studies at Gakushuin and then Tokyo University of the Arts (formerly the Tokyo Music School). Studied piano with Leo Sirota and Paul Weingarten, and composition with Klaus Pringsheim, and graduated at the top of his class. Career Yamada formed the orchestra ‘Promethée’ as a composer. In 1937 he was awarded his first prize from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation for his symphonic music works, and in 1938 he was also awarded by the New Symphony Orchestra for his symphonic poem ‘Songs that youth can sing’ as well as the Weingarten Award for the symphonic ‘Kiso’. Yamada studied conducting technique under the tutelage of Józef Rosenstock, and premiered as a conductor for the New Symphony Orchestra in 1940. He was appointed to the post of chief conductor of the Japan Symphony Orchestra which was reorganized from the New Symphony Orchestra (which is now the NHK symphony orchestra) in 1942, greatly contributing to the improvement of the orchestra for the next 13 years. He was awarded the Mainichi Music Award in 1949 for the Japan premiere of the opera Hänsel und Gretel sponsored by NHK, and h