2016 Scholars Selected for the “TOMODACHI Suntory Music Scholarship Fund”
Suntory partnered with TOMODACHI to establish this scholarship fund in 2013. For three years starting in 2014, the program provides scholarships to Japanese students for three music schools in the United States, with preference given to students from the three Tohoku prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. By 2015, the Fund had granted scholarships to a total of six students, including two students from Tohoku. This year’s selection of students takes the total number of scholarship recipients to ten.
▼ 2016 Scholarship Recipients
| School | Student | Hometown | Major |
| The Juilliard School
|
Mitsuru Yonezaki
|
Kanagawa | Violin |
| Berklee College of Music
|
Eri Chichibu | Miyagi | Piano |
| Gen Yoshimura | Hokkaido | Drums | |
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music
|
Anju Goto | California, U.S.※ | Violin |
※Anju Goto also has Japanese nationality.
▼ Scholarship Amounts
・The Juilliard School － $10,000 annually for 4 years
・Berklee College of Music － $20,000 annually for 4 years
・San Francisco Conservatory of Music － $20,000 annually for 4 years
About the TOMODACHI Initiative
The TOMODACHI Initiative is a public-private partnership between the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, TOMODACHI invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs. The initiative seeks to foster a “TOMODACHI Generation” of young American and Japanese leaders who are committed to and engaged in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations, appreciate each other’s countries and cultures, and possess the global skills and mindsets needed to contribute to and thrive in a more cooperative, prosperous, and secure world. Visit us at www.tomodachi.org.
