Pianist R. Mayo Tsuzuki Wins Orchestra Concerto Competition

A Leverett House junior was named yesterday as the 1982 winner of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO) concerto competition for her piano performance.

Three judges unanimously selected R. Mayo Tsuzuki '84 of Bridgewater, N.J., from 16 contestants.

Tsuzuki participates in many musical organizations on campus and elsewhere but says that she is not completely satisfied with her musical achievements at Harvard. Although she tries to practice two hours every day, she says, "It's hard for me to study piano regularly during the school year."

"In general, I feel I'm not doing enough. I think academics here demand a lot of time, and in order not to sacrifice my academics, I've had to sacrifice some time playing piano." She added, however, that she has no intention of giving up playing. "I'd like to keep performing as long as I can."

Tsuzuki doubts that she will go to graduate school in music, saying, "I don't think I'll be trying seriously to make my career out of music. I have the feeling that if I were under the pressure to make my living by giving concerts, I would no longer enjoy playing because it's such an unstable, unpredictable profession."

She will perform the Prokofiev Piano Concerto opus 10 in D-Flat Major with the HRO in March.

Tsuzuki, an East Asian Studies concentrator, takes lessons from pianist Martin Canin of the Julliard School in New York City. She soloed in 1980 with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in the Young People's Concert Series and has performed many times with symphonies in central New Jersey. She has also given three solo recitals in Tokyo.

Tsuzuki has studied piano since the age of four. She also enjoys the flute, chamber music, and especially singing. At Harvard she has participated in the Collegium Musicum and the Ensemble Society. She received the Horblitt Prize for outstanding musicians at Harvard and is currently a member of the Radcliffe Pitches.

Tsuzuki says, "I'm very excited that I'll be playing with HRO. I've been looking forward to being able to play with the orchestra since freshman year, and now that it's finally coming true, I'm thrilled."