Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii has become the latest star on the classical music scene after winning one of the world's most prestigious awards, but the blind 20-year-old has no need for a score. Blind since birth, the college student last month won top prize at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in the United States. Tsujii, who shared first prize with 19-year-old Haochen Zhang of China, became the first Japanese - and the first blind - pianist to win the coveted award. Born in Tokyo, Tsujii began playing the piano at age two. Influenced by music from Bach and Beethoven to Japanese “enka” folk music, he held his first solo recital at Tokyo's Suntory Hall at age 12. Instead of tracing over a musical score written in braille with his fingertips, he listens to recorded piano pieces over and over until he has memorized every detail. The recordings are tailored for Tsujii by his piano instructor, who records the left hand and right hand parts separately. .
