The conductor Naoto Otomo and the cellist Gen Yokosaka received the seventh Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award in a ceremony held in Tokyo on September 11. Mr. Otomo and Mr. Yokosaka are the artists whose profile appears on this site.

The Hideo Saito Memorial Fund was established in 2002 by the Sony Music Foundation on a bequest from Mrs. Hideko Saito, widow of the famous cellist, conductor and educator, Hideo Saito (1902-1974). Awards are presented annually to an outstanding conductor and young cellist, with a view to bringing them recognition and developing their careers.

The award selection committee is chaired by Mr. Norio Ohga (conductor, executive adviser of Sony Corporation and chairman of the Board of Sony Music Foundation), with Seiji Ozawa (conductor) and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cellist) as jurists.