(continued from www.idrs.org home) He also committed and gave birth to many works by Japanese composers such as Kishio Hirao's oboe sonata in 1952. Mr. Suzuki was active as an excellent orchestra player as the principal oboist of the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Japan Philharmonic conductors including Munch, Stokowski, Ozawa and others. He was also active outside of Japan and joined the Marlboro Festival in 1962 and 1964 where he played under Pablo Casals together with John Mack, Ronald Roseman and James Caldwell.

After his long career as the professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music and other institutions, he established the Tokyo (now Karuizawa) International Oboe Competition in collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic's Hansjorg Schellenberger, one of his intimate friends.

The Japanese double reed world mourns the passing of the great player and teacher, Professor Seizo Suzuki. He was indeed “The Big Shot.”

Ryoichi Narusawa
Japan Oboe Assotiation