Simeon Pironkoff

I have known Mr. Sugiyama since our student days at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) in 1985, both as a musician — conductor and trombonist — and as a deeply committed and highly successful organizer. For many years he has been leading and organizing demanding masterclasses throughout Europe and Japan, covering an enormous range of repertoire and genres. I have myself participated as a faculty member in some of these courses, and on those occasions I was able to admire his versatile, always highly competent work as both musician and teacher.

Over the years, Mr. Sugiyama has accumulated immense experience with the most diverse ensembles and orchestras, and possesses a deep, comprehensive knowledge of his field. I have personally witnessed on many occasions his outstanding command of musical scores — he is invariably informed about the latest scholarly editions and their current standing — his profound knowledge of historical instruments and performance practice, his enormous familiarity with the repertoire, and, not least, his excellent conducting technique.

It is therefore a great pleasure for me to recommend participation in his masterclasses in the most explicit and warmest terms. Mr. Sugiyama possesses all the qualifications necessary for a thorough and inspiring education of young conductors. I would particularly like to highlight his intercultural and social competence, as well as his admirable communication skills, which I have often witnessed in his sensitive and perceptive work with students. His courses offer a unique opportunity to learn both technical precision and deep musical understanding at first hand.