Society

Japanese violinist wins top Munich prize

Sep 13 (NHK) - Japanese violinist, Okamoto Seiji, won the top prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany, on Sunday.

The competition was launched in 1952. It is seen as a career springboard for young musicians.

This year, contests were held in four categories, including violin and piano duo.

Twenty- seven-year old Okamoto told NHK that he is very happy to be awarded a prize at such a prestigious competition. He said he believed he could do his best, and that he will try to keep practicing hard every day.

The violinist has won prizes at various contests in and outside Japan. They include the top prize in the violin category at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in 2014.

Okamoto now studies at Kronberg Academy in Germany.

At this year's ARD International Music Competition, Japanese sisters -- Sakamoto Aya and Risa -- won the third prize in the piano duo category.

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