Midori and the Avery Fisher Prize
Nathan Leventhal, Chairman of the Avery Fisher Artist Program, stated, "The Avery Fisher Prize stands for unparalleled excellence and Midori embraces that excellence both in her prodigious musical accomplishments, as well as in her vision for children through Midori & Friends." Past recipients include, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax and Murray Perahia.

Heralded as one of the world's foremost violinists, Midori consistently seeks to share herself and her artistry, both on and off the concert stage. Her performing schedule is balanced between recitals with Robert McDonald and appearances with the most prestigious symphonic ensembles, taking her to the great concert stages of Europe, North America and the Far East. She has appeared with such distinguished orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic. Chamber music has become an equally vital element of her activities, and in 1992 Midori added another important dimension to her life when she founded Midori & Friends, a nonprofit organization inspiring children in New York City and Japan by bringing music into their everyday lives.

Midori records exclusively for Sony Classical. Her most recent release features a rare recording of Mozart's unfinished Concerto for Violin and Piano, K. Anh. 56, -- newly reconstructed by musicologist Philip Wilby -- and the Dinfonia Concertante for Violin and VIola, with pianist Christoph Eschenbach, the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra and violist Nabuko Imai. Midori has also collaborated with such eminent artists as Zubin Mehta (who has been an important figure in her career), Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Sir Colin Davis, Yo-Yo Ma, Kurt Masur, Sir Simon Rattle, Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman. Midori was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971 and began studying with her mother, Setsu Goto, at a very early age. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Gender Studies from New York University, and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Oxford.

Pianist Robert McDonald (left), a faculty member of the Peabody School of Music, also directs the keyboard program at the Taos School of Music and Chamber Festival. He holds degrees from Lawrence University, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music, having studied with Rudolf Serkin, Mieczyslaw Horszowski and Seymour Lipkin. Mr. McDonald received a Gold Medal at the Ferrucio Busoni International Piano Competition. His performing schedule includes solo recital an major orchestral appearances in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Latin America, guest artist appearances with the Juilliard and Brentano Quartets, among others, and he is recital partner to Midori and violinist Elmar Oliveira.

Midori on Sony Classical

Midori & Friends