WASHINGTON: Japanese violinist Midori Goto has been picked as one of the five recipients of the 2020 Kennedy Center Honors, sources close to Goto said Friday.

Goto is the first Japanese honoree of the award, given to individuals and organizations for their contributions to US culture through the performing arts, since conductor Seiji Ozawa in 2015.

“With an international presence for over 35 years, violinist Midori combines graceful precision and expression for performances building connections between art and the human experience,” the Kennedy Center said in a statement.

Goto commented, “My plans are to be making music again, in both pioneering and traditional ways, to sing out and to stir what lies within us.”

“I am thrilled to be a recipient…, as we, together, reach toward renewed expression of the dreams and hopes that unify us all,” she added.

The gala event for the 2020 winners has been postponed until May this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The other four honorees are multidisciplinary artist and actress Debbie Allen, singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez, country singer-songwriter Garth Brooks and actor Dick Van Dyke.

JIJI Press