CONDUCTOR /
ORCHESTRA

Born in Tokyo in 1961, Toshiaki Umeda began learning piano at the age of five under Naoyuki Inoue, Yasushi Arai, and others. Completed undergraduate degree at Toho Gakuen School of Music in 1984, studying conducting under Seiji Ozawa, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, and Tadaaki Odaka, contrabass under Mitsuru Onozaki, and piano and chamber music under Akira Miyoshi. Studied under Jean Fournet 1983-84 during Fournet’s stay in Japan. Completed graduate studies in the research department in 1986. Sent on the recommendation of the NHK Symphony Orchestra to study at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellelende Kunst in Wien in 1986-87, where he studied under Otmar Suitner. Following his return to Japan, Umeda served as conductor for the Century Orchestra of Osaka from December 1989 to April 1992. Since April 1990, has also been the conductor for the Sendai Philharmonic, and made his subscription concert debut in September 1992, conducting Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. In addition, was conductor of the Kanagawa Philharmonic from April 1992 to March 1996. In April 2000, he took up the post of permanent conductor for the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra. He exerted concerted efforts toward its development, and continued in that post until March 2006. He has performed with such major Japanese orchestras as the NHK Symphony, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

He has serves as guest conductor in joint concerts with the major orchestras of Japan, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Yomiuri Japan Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, building deep relationships of trust with them all. At both the 1st and the 2nd Sendai International Music Competitions, in 2001 and 2004 respectively, he conducted all of the concertos (in the two sections of violin and piano) and received high praise for his work from the performers, the audiences, and from judges from both at home and abroad.

In January 1996, Umeda won accolades for conducting subscription concerts of the Sudwestdeutsche Philharmonie and the Slovak Philharmony. He has obtained the deep trust of all orchestras with which he has worked for his astute conducting and his stance of fidelity to music, making him one of the most promising conductors on not just the Japanese but world stage.

Jonathan Nott began his tenure as the 3rd Music Director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 2014 season. The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, together with music director Jonathan Nott, has been attracting attention as a leader in the Japanese orchestra world.《Elektra in Concert Style(2023)》won the 1st prize in the “Top 10 Concert 2023” following the 2nd prize of《Salome in Concert Style(2022)》on Ongaku no Tomo magazine as well as the Best Recording of Music Pen club Japan Award for Opera & Orchestra category and Tokyo Symphony Chorus, Orchestra’s amateur chorus also won the prize for Chamber & Chorus category.

Highlights of past seasons with Mo. Nott include Symphony 9 by Beethoven filmed by 45 cameras, the largest record of the orchestra history live-streamed nationwide, Gurre-Lieder by Schoenberg celebrating 15th Anniversary of Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, TSO’s home and Mozart’s Da Ponte Operas in concert style. In 2018, TSO launched “TSO Music & Video Subscription”, first-ever digital project in Japanese Orchestras, which provides live-concert video and music as well as CD recording. In March 2020, the live-streamed concert without audience on nico-nico Live Channel which attracted more than 200,000 viewers nationwide, has been a mega-hit in Japan.

Outside of Japan, the orchestra has performed 80 concerts in 59 cities since 1976. In 2016, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 70th anniversary and took a European tour including the concert at Musikverein Großer Saal in Vienna with Mo. Nott. In 2024, The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra Asia Project has launched to improve music culture throughout Asia.

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1946 and has a reputation for giving first performances of a number of contemporary music and opera. Through these activities, the orchestra has received most of Japan’s major music awards such as the Minister of Education Award, the Grand Prix of Kyoto Music Award, Mainichi Art Award, Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Award, Suntory Music Award and Kawasaki City Culture Award.

Since becoming the resident orchestra of the City of Kawasaki in 2004, and a semi-resident orchestra agreement with the City of Niigata in 1999, the orchestra has been enthusiastic for school concerts and community concerts. The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has been regularly performing various operas and ballets at the New National Opera Theatre, Tokyo since its opening in 1997.