The Asahi Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes in Japan, where it is considered as the Nobel Prize. In fact, various personalities recognised with this award have subsequently been honoured with the Nobel Prize.


The Asahi Prize recognises individuals and groups that have contributed to the development and progress of Japanese culture and society. In this respect, the jury wished to highlight Kazushi Ono’s tireless work as director around the world.

Kazushi Ono, who debuted as music director of the OBC on 20 September last year with a special, unprecedented concert in the Sagrada Familia church, was delighted and grateful for this recognition. Ono says: “It’s an enormous honour for me to receive this prestigious prize during my first season as music director of the OBC. I will continue to work to build cultural bridges between the beautiful Catalonia and my native Japan.” With this concert, Ono already demonstrated his commitment to the spread of Japanese culture and his passion for Catalan culture with a programme combining works by Vivancos and Takemitsu, followed by the spectacular Exsultate, jubilate by Mozart and Fauré’s Requiem.

Maestro Ono, a self-professed lover of Catalan culture and, in particular, Pau Casals and contemporary Catalan composers, returns to lead the OBC on 19, 20 and 21 February with a programme dedicated to Brahms and his Symphony No. 4. The concert will also include performances of Manfred de Montsalvatge and Schuman’s Concerto for piano and orchestra, supported by soloist Jorge Luis Prats.