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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Seiji Ozawa, the legendary conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra has died at the age of 88.
He died on Friday at his home in Tokyo. The cause was heart failure.
Ozawa was internationally acclaimed for his work and contributions to classical music around the world. Closer to home, he conducted the Boston Symphony from 1973-2002.
While Ozawa led the BSO, he appointed 74 of its 104 musicians, and his celebrity attracted famous performers including Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, according to the Associated Press.
The legendary conductor also used his time on the BSO to bring the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Mass. to a point of international recognition. In 1994, a 1,200-seat $12 million music hall at the center was named in his honor. Ozawa held three honorary degrees in music from the University of Massachusetts, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Wheaton College in Norton, Mass.
Ozawa’s funeral was attended only by close relatives as his family wished to have a quiet farewell, according to the AP.
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.
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