The recipient of the 2003 Grant for Young Artists is
DE SONO ASSOCIAZIONE PER LA MUSICA

The De Sono Associazione per la Musica was founded in 1988 in Torino by a group of private citizens under the patronage of Italy's Piedmontese industries to financially support young musicians and composers by awarding scholarships, and to publish essays and doctoral dissertations on musical subjects.

In 15 years of activity the De Sono has been helping 117 young artists to perfect their skills with the best masters in the most prestigious Italian and foreign academies such as the Musikhochschule in Wien, Amsterdam Conservatory, Basel Musik-Akademie, Moscow Conservatory, Juilliard School in New York and London’s Guildhall School. By now many of these musicians have achieved success both as soloists and as main parts of important Italian and international orchestras.

The association will receive 5 million yen (c.$41,000) to assist their efforts to support young musicians, and especially to increase the annual grant to young musicians perfecting their skills abroad.

The Grant for Young Artists is an annual grant of 5 million yen given by the Japan Art Association to a group or institution that encourages the involvement of young people in the arts. The Grant for Young Artists was inaugurated to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Praemium Imperiale.

Grantees to date are:
2002 The European Union Youth Orchestra
2001 The Résidence du Festival
2000 The Ulster Youth Orchestra
1999 The Instituto Superior de Arte, Cuba
1998 The National Film, Television and Theatre School, Lodz, Poland
1997 Hanoi National Conservatory of Music, Vietnam

For further information:
http//www.praemiumimperiale.org

The Japan Art Association, Tokyo
tel:(81 3) 5251 2245
fax(81 3) 5251 2247

Claudine Colin, Paris
ccc@claudinecolin.com
tel: (331) 4272 6001
fax:(331) 4272 5023

Sandie Barker, London
sba@dial.pipex.com
tel: (4420) 7586 4604
fax(4420) 7722 8761

Astrid Lilja, Berlin
astrid.lilja@web.de
tel/fax:49 (0) 308932293

Francesca Martinotti, Rome
info@lagenzia.it
tel: (39 06) 8069 2424
fax: (39 06) 8066 9906

Lloyd Kaplan, NY
lkaplan@lakpr.com
tel: (1-212) 575 4545
fax: (1-212)575 0519