Playing a musical instrument at a professional level is like a high-performance sport. In view of the intensive practice time required for this, there is often hardly any time for additional commitment in students' everyday lives.

This makes the achievement of the winner of the DAAD Prize 2024 at the University of Music Würzburg, Saori Iuchi from Japan, all the more impressive. She plays and studies two instruments, violin and piano, the latter both as a soloist and in the field of song composition. This means that she is studying three degree programmes at the same time. She achieves outstanding academic results in all areas and has already won competition prizes.

Ms. Saori Iuchi is also involved in a wide range of voluntary work: She is particularly interested in cultural exchange between Japan and Germany, for example as a cultural ambassador for her home country of Hokkaido. She organizes concerts and cultural events to present the special features of her homeland. This not only demonstrates her commitment to cultural exchange, but also her ability to build bridges between cultures and overcome cultural barriers.

Ms. Saori Iuchi's outstanding artistic achievements combined with her intensive intercultural commitment in Germany make her an outstanding ambassador for international exchange and an enrichment for our university and German society as a whole.