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Appearing

conductor / Tatsuya SHIMONO＜Principal Guest Conductor＞

viola / Akira HIROKARI

Song List

© Shin Yamagishi

Tatsuya SHIMONO＜Principal Guest Conductor＞（conductor）

Born in Kagoshima in 1969, Tatsuya Shimono cemented his international reputation as a conductor by winning the First Prize and the Hideo Saito Award at Tokyo International Music Competition for conducting in 2000 and the First Prize at the 47th Besançon International Competition in 2001. Since then he has guest conducted major orchestras such as Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Czech Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC), Sinfonia Varsovia　and NHK Symphony Orchestra among others. Shimono served as Resident Conductor and then Principal Guest Conductor of Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (2006-2017), Guest conductor and then Principal Guest Conductor of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra (2014-2020), general music director of Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra (2017-2024) Shimono is currently holding the title of Music Director of Hiroshima Wind Orchestra since 2011, Permanent Conductor of NHK Symphony Orchestra since October 2023, Principal Guest Conductor of Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra since April 2024. In addition to his activity with orchestra he also regularly conducts Opera at New National Theatre Tokyo, Nissay Theatre and Nikikai Opera among others.

© K.Seki

Akira HIROKARI（viola）

Akira Hirokari was born in 1970 in Kobe, and graduated Tokyo University of Arts. Hirokari being a member of the Musa String Quartet won the first prize of Tokyo Contemporary Art Music Festival Competition, the First Asahi Contemporary Art Music Award, and Nippon Columbia Special Award. The Musa String Quartet was also awarded the second prize of Tokyo International Chamber Ensemble Competition, the Lufthansa Award.
Hirokari assumed positions of the principal in Tokyo University of Arts Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, and of Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, the position which he holds today.
As a soloist, Hirokari performed with Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra and Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and appeared in Kiso Music Festival and Kurashiki Music Festival. He held solo recitals in 2004, visiting 3 cities and in May 2009 visited 2 cities, all well received. As a soloist for the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra Subscription Concerts, he played works of Japanese composers including Hikaru Hayashi and Toru Takemitsu. In 2005, he appeared as a soloist for Bartok’s Viola Concert and in May 2009 for R. Strauss’ “Don Quixote” all impressive. He is one of the outstanding violist today in Japan, with his rich and refined tone which sharply lead to the essence of the music.
Hirokari studied violin under Reiji Takeuchi, Takako Murata, Takaya Urakawa, and viola under Takaya Urakawa, Toshiyuki Uzuka, Junji Suganuma, Nobuko Imai and Ulrich Koch. Hirokari is a part-time senior lecturer of Hokkaido University of Education, Iwamizawa Campus.