Cecil Taylor Receives Japan’s Kyoto Prize

(June 21, 2013) Today, venerable pianist and composer Cecil Taylor was named a Kyoto Prize laureate by the the Inamori Foundation. The annual award is presented for excellence in the areas of the arts, philosophy, science and technology. The prize includes a cash gift of 50 million yen (approximately $510,000) and will be presented at a ceremony in Kyoto in November.

Taylor was recognized with the Arts and Philosophy Prize in Music, along with fellow recipients inventor and electronics engineer Dr. Robert Dennard and Dr. Masatoshi Nei, an evolutionary biologist for outstanding work in their fields.