Ozawa, Seiji << oh ZAH wah, SAY jee >> (1935-2024), was one of the outstanding orchestra conductors of his time. He established his reputation with a broad range of music, including that of many modern Japanese composers.
Ozawa was born on Sept. 1, 1935, in Hoten, in northeastern China. He went to Europe in 1959 and studied with the Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan in West Berlin. There, Leonard Bernstein, conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, observed Ozawa and named him one of the orchestra’s three assistant conductors for the 1961-1962 season. Bernstein recalled him as sole assistant conductor for the 1964-1965 season. Ozawa was the Toronto Symphony’s conductor from 1965 to 1969 and the San Francisco Symphony’s music director from 1970 to 1976. He served as artistic and music director of the Boston Symphony from 1973 to 2002 and director of the Vienna State Opera from 2002 to 2010. Ozawa became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2015. He died on Feb. 6, 2024.
