[Confirmed] Announcement of New Japan Philharmonic Special Concert "Seiji Ozawa Memorial Concert" to be held on August 31, 2024

New Japan Philharmonic

Founded in 1972 as an independently managed orchestra under Seiji Ozawa and Naozumi Yamamoto the orchestra became Japan's first fully-fledged franchise in 1997, with Sumida Triphony Hall as its home base. In addition to regular and special concerts, the orchestra is also actively involved in local concert activities.
In 1999, Seiji Ozawa was appointed Conductor Laureate / Emeritus, and past conductors include the first Music Director Kazuhiro Koizumi (1975-1979), the second Music Music Director Michiyoshi Inoue (1983-1988), the third Music Music Director Christian Arming (2003-2013), and the fourth Music Director Toshiyuki Kamioka (2016-2021). Daniel Harding served as Music Partner of NJP (2010-2016), and Ingo Metzmacher served as Conductor in Residence (2013-2015). Joe Hisaishi (since 2004) has been Music Director of New Japan Philharmonic World Dream Orchestra, and Hisaishi has also served as Music Partner of the New Japan Philharmonic (since 2020).
His awards include the Mitsubishi Trust Music Award Encouragement Prize, the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Music Award, and the Music Pen Club Music Award.
Yutaka Sado will become the fifth Music Director from April 2023. The city, the hall, and the orchestra will work together in musical activities.

Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts. Studied under the late Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. Won the Besançon International Conducting Competition in 1989. Has performed with many leading European orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently serves as Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Austria, artistic director of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center, and Chief conductor of the Siena Wind Orchestra. He has released many CDs, including his latest CD, Mahler's Symphony No. 4, conducted by the Tonkünstler Orchestra, which was released in January 2024. His books include "How I Became a Conductor" (Shincho Bunko) and "A Life of Waving a Stick: Conductors Sculpt Time" (PHP Bunko/Shinsho). He will be the Sumida Music Ambassador from April 2022 and the fifth Music Director New Japan Philharmonic in April 2023. Official fan site > http://yutaka-sado.meetsfan.jp

Born in Vienna. He trained under Leopold Hager and Seiji Ozawa, and served as Chief conductor of the Janacek Philharmonic and Music Director of the Lucerne Opera House. He was Music Director of New Japan Philharmonic from 2003 to 2013 and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Belgium from 2011 to 2019. He has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra since 2017, and will be appointed Music Director of the orchestra in April 2024.

He has been invited to conduct with the Czech Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National de Santa Cecilia in Rome, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and NHK Symphony Orchestra, among others, and has conducted operas such as "Don Giovanni," "Salome," "The Tales of Hoffmann," and "The Florentine Tragedy" at the Frankfurt and Strasbourg Opera Houses and New Japan Philharmonic. In 2019, he conducted all four performances of "Carmen" with Seiji Ozawa as part of the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Opera Project.

He studied conducting under Hideo Saito and graduated from the Faculty of Music at Toho Gakuen School of Music in 1963. He made his debut conducting the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 1964 and served as the orchestra's Music Director and principal conductor for 40 years. During that time, he has served as music Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (currently Conductor Laureate), Music Director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Chief the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, Chief of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Chief of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, and Chief of the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as a guest conductor with the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

He has received the Suntory Music Prize, the Minister of Education's Art Encouragement Prize, the Osaka Arts Prize, the Mainichi Arts Prize, the Kawasaki City Cultural Award, and the Kyoto Music Prize Grand Prize. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2001 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2011. He was selected as a Person of Cultural Merit in 2014.

He currently serves in many roles, including Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Advisor of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, Music Advisor of the Okayama Philharmonic Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Honorary Life Conductor of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Advisor of the Osaka Zion Wind Orchestra. He also serves as Artistic Director and Special Professor at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music and Visiting Professor at Kyoto City University of Arts.

The year 2024 marks his 60th anniversary as a conductor.

A cellist who represents Japan in both name and reality. He studied under Hideo Saito at the Toho Gakuen Music School for Children and the Toho Gakuen High School Music Department. In 1961, he studied abroad at Indiana University in the United States and studied under Janos Starker. In 1963, he won second place at the Munich International Competition and first place at the Casals International Competition.

He has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Torii Music Award (now the Suntory Music Award), the Eugène Ysaÿe Medal (Belgium), the Mobil Music Prize, the NHK Symphony Orchestra Arima Award, the City of Vienna Honorary Gold Medal, the Mainichi Art Award (Music Division), and the Agency for Cultural Affairs' 50th Anniversary Commendation.

He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in the fall of 2009. He was selected as a Person of Cultural Merit in 2013. In the fall of 2020, he performed as a soloist at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's Japan tour, which received a great response.

He has served as an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, a professor at the University of Illinois, and a professor at Indiana University, and is currently a professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music (former president 2004-2013) and a visiting professor at Korea National University of Arts. He is also Music Director of the Kirishima International Music Festival, director of Suntory Hall, and a member of the Japan Art Academy.