Conductor Seiji Ozawa, Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron & More Among 2024 Asian Hall of Fame Honorees

Paul Grein
·2 min read
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The late, Grammy-winning conductor Seiji Ozawa; Matt Cameron, drummer for Pearl Jam; and Grammy-nominated concert violinist Anne Akiko Meyers are among the Asian Hall of Fame’s 2024 honorees. The roster will be announced at a kick-off event, “Celebrate Asia Festival,” which will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and stream live on Roku GAME.

The Celebrate Asia Festival is an annual benefit for the Women Founders Fund, which supports diversity among women in tech, entertainment and the arts. May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

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Ozawa, who died Feb. 6 at age 88, was recognized internationally through his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Vienna State Opera and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  He won a Grammy in 2016 for best opera recording for Ravel: L’Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade. Ozawa is an In Memoriam inductee.

Cameron first gained fame as the drummer for Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of the band’s studio albums until its breakup in 1997. In 1998, Cameron was invited to join Pearl Jam’s Yield Tour and then became a permanent member of the band. Cameron has won two Grammys for his work with Soundgarden: best metal performance for “Spoonman” and best hard rock performance for “Black Hole Sun.”

Meyers, who is Eurasian, received her first Grammy nod late last year for Fandango, a live recording with Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic, which was nominated for best classical compendium. Her 2023-24 season includes performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic.

Here’s a quick look at this year’s three other music-connected honorees:

John Paris, drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire since 2001, played on Asian Hall of Fame’s Down by the Water charity album for human trafficking rescue. (Cameron and Paris are not Asian, but are being honored as Goodwill Ambassadors.)

Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, who performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on American Idol at age seven (and was given a golden ticket by judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan to come back and compete in 2027) is the recipient of the Asian Innovation Award. The prize includes a grant check, invitation to record a song with pianist Ed Roth at the private studio of Robby Krieger, and opportunities to perform at the May Festival and October Ceremony. Malea Emma is Indonesian.

Lydia Lee, choir director at John Muir Middle School in Burbank, Calif., is recipient of the Asian Women in the Arts Prize for her work in music education. Lee is Chinese. Her choir will perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” in German with a professional adult choir and ensemble at the Oct. 19 induction ceremony, to be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in L.A. It will stream live on Roku GAME at 5:00 p.m. PT.

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