The 676th Subscription Concert 2026.April.18（Sat）17:00～
/ April.19（Sun）13:00～ Sapporo Concert Hall; Kitara

© Masaaki Tomitori

Junichi HIROKAMI＜Friendship Conductor＞（conductor）

Born in Tokyo, Junichi Hirokami studied piano, composition and music under Atsutada Otaka. Then studied conducting and graduated at Tokyo College of Music. Winner at the first Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in Amsterdam at the sage of 26 in 1984. Since 1990, Junichi Hirokami has appeared as guest conductor with major orchestras throughout the world including the Orchestre National de France, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and Wiener Symphoniker. Apart from guest appearance he had served as Chief Conductor of Sweden's Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Principal Conductor of Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. In recent years, he has been a guest conductor of orchestras which include the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. In Japan he has conducted all the major orchestras including NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Saito Kinen Orchestra. He also received great acclaim for his appearance with the Mito Chamber Orchestra. He is prolific in opera as well, having led celebrated performances of "Un ballo in maschera" and "Rigoletto" at the the Sydney Opera House, and his most recent triumphs include "La Traviata" at the Fujiwara Opera, "Le Nozze di Figaro" and "Ainadamar" at the Nissay Theatre, and "La Traviata" and "Aida" at the New National Theatre. From 2008 to 2022 Hirokami has achieved a golden era in Kyoto as Chief Conductor as well as Music and Artistic Advisor of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra for 14 years. In 2015 he received 46th prestigious Suntory Music Award with Kyoto Symphony Orchestra together. Currently he serves as Friend of JPO / Artistic Advisor at Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and Friendship Conductor at Sapporo Symphony Orchestra (from April 2022). Furthermore he will start his tenure as Artistic Leader at Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa from 2022/23 season. He serves as professor of conducting division at Tokyo College of Music.

© 武藤章

Nobuko YAMAZAKI（cello）

Nobuko Yamazaki was born in Hiroshima and graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where she studied under the Late Hideo Saito, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Kenichiro Yasuda and Mari Fujiwara. While still a student, she was awarded the first prizes of both the first Min-on Chamber Music competition and the Cello Section of the 44th Japan Music competition. After having graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music, she furthered her studies with Pierre Fournier in Geneva for two years on an Oversea Scholarship funded by Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Upon her returning to Japan, Yamazaki embarked on a highly successful career, giving many recitals and chamber music performances. Besides regular engagements with every leading orchestra in Japan, she has been invited by renowned European orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and played with the English Chamber Orchestra in the prestigious opening series for Suntory Hall.
Yamazaki has been giving recitals called 'Cello Sonata Series' from 2007 and finished the last recital in May 2017. She has also recorded each her recitals and the CDs have been released by Nami Records.
She currently teaches at Toho Gakuen school of Music and is Honorary Professor at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.