Conductor Ozawa to Share Delight of Winning Grammy with Orchestra

KYOTO, JAPAN - FEB. 17: Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa expressed his joy Wednesday at winning the Best Opera Recording award at the Grammys, saying he wants to share this delight with the other performers. "I am surprised. I am happy we were able to receive this kind of award and I would like to share my joy with members of the Saito Kinen Orchestra," Ozawa, 80, said at a press conference in the western Japan city of Kyoto, where he is staging a performance. His opera recording won at Monday's 58th Grammy Awards, which are considered the top honors in the U.S. music business. It was Ozawa's first Grammy award after being nominated eight times. Ozawa's award-winning recording is of a performance of Ravel's "L'Enfant et Les Sortileges" (The Child and the Spells) given in August 2013 in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, by the Saito Kinen Orchestra as part of the orchestra's festival. The conductor, who has led top orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, called the Saito Kinen Orchestra his "dream orchestra" and said he will work hard not to let any health concerns get in the way of his future performances. Ozawa has been based in Kyoto since early this month for opera performances to be performed on Thursday and Saturday. Known for his activities in and out of Japan, Ozawa was also music director of Vienna State Opera.