Prizewinner thanks his teacher – on the jury
mainThe 6th International Lovro von Matacic conducting competition in Zagreb ended last night with a Romanian, Gabriel Bebeselea, as winner and second prize split between a Japanese, So Awatsuji, and an American Dean Whiteside, a protege of the late Lorin Maazel.
So Awatsuji caused a bit of a stir by announcing in the televised interview that he was a student of the British jury member, Colin Metters, and thanking him.
An unexpected candour, in the circumstances.
The jury consisted of: Nikša Bareza (chair), Vladimir Kranjčević, Sreten Krstić, Colin Metters, Frano Parać, Thomas Sanderling and Dian Tchobanov.
Can’t understand what he would learn from C M,haven’t come across him for years.
Certainly an inept display by the award winner. This type of behaviour, though, is par for the course in Japan (we see it all the time)
No doubt So Awatsuji has studied at a masterclass at some point with Colin Metters, as have hundreds of others. But he is not a ‘student’ of Metters as is implied here. Metters doesn’t even have a regular class anymore.