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Conductor: Riku Okamoto

Riku Okamoto, conductor

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In 2025, he won the highest prize (no first place, second place) at the 4th Dorati International Conducting Competition, attracting international attention.
In 2022, he won the 4th Bucharest International Conducting Competition. In 2025, he was selected as one of the 12 finalists for the 12th Toscanini International Conducting Competition. He has conducted the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National d'Ile-de-France, the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, the Ploieşti Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra, the Siamo Orkest, and the Vaasa City Symphony Orchestra. In the 2026/2027 season, he is scheduled to perform again with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, as well as with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (USA) and the Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra (Italy).
In Japan, he has conducted orchestras including the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo, Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra, and Gunma Symphony Orchestra, and is scheduled to perform with orchestras throughout Japan. Born in Shiga Prefecture in 1998, he began playing the violin at the age of three. At age 11, he joined the Super Kids Orchestra and has since been mentored by Yutaka Sado. After graduating from Rakusei High School, he entered the Tokyo College of Music, Faculty of Music, Department of Composition and Conducting (Conducting) as a special scholarship student. After graduating, he traveled to Europe to further his studies in Vienna and Helsinki. He has studied conducting under Junichi Hirokami, Toshifumi Tashiro, Nobutaka Masui, Akito Mihara, and Toshihiro Yonezu. He has also attended conducting master classes with John Axelrod, Mark Herron, Boris Belkin, Yasuhiko Shiozawa, Tsuguo Tokunaga, and Jing Wang. In 2024, he will attend Riccardo Muti's Italian Opera Academy at the Tokyo Spring Festival.
He served as assistant conductor of the Kyoto City Junior Orchestra from 2021 to 2022, and is currently assistant conductor of the Super Kids Orchestra. In 2024, Kazuki Yamada selected him as assistant conductor for the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra's Japan tour. He conducted the orchestra for the encore at the final performance of the tour. He is currently based in Helsinki, Finland, where he is studying under Jorma Panula.