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The Leonard Bernstein Award goes to a YouTube star!
Posted February 18, 2025
The Leonard Bernstein Award goes to a YouTube star!
Hayato Sumino is a pianist, composer, YouTuber and trained engineer who, at 29-years-old, has already become a sensation in his home country of Japan, filling concert halls with thousands of fans. He is now playing his way onto stages around the world - and will be honoured with the Leonard Bernstein Award, sponsored by the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in summer 2025.
Hayato Sumino, known by his stage name Cateen, bridges worlds—classical, jazz, and pop; social media and the concert stage; playfulness and virtuosity. With over 1.4 million YouTube followers and 200 million views, he has captivated audiences since his school days with inventive piano arrangements, from popular video game soundtracks like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, to playing Mozart’s Turkish March in all 24 keys or his own variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in seven levels of difficulty. On stage, he blends classical repertoire with original compositions, jazz improvisation, and pop, creating a fresh, dynamic experience that resonates with a new generation of musicians and listeners alike.
"Hayato Sumino dissolves the boundaries between different musical genres. He improvises with great ease, is an outstanding interpreter of the classical repertoire and has an urge for freedom that is very important for jazz," said SHMF Director Dr Christian Kuhnt, explaining the decision.
On winning the award, Hayato Sumino remarked, "Leonard Bernstein is one of my musical heroes and I grew up with his works, recordings and words. His creativity and humanity went beyond the music and left a legacy that I try to honor in my own way. I am deeply honored to receive this important award, thank you!"
Hayato Sumino will be presented with the Leonard Bernstein Award at the prizewinner's concert on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Lübeck, Germany. Together with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (SHFO) under the direction of Holly Choe, he will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.