The is a symphony

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

based in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, founded in 1966. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater Concert Hall and the

Chukyo University is a private university in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with campuses in Nagoya and Toyota. The main building is located in Yagoto, Shōwa-ku, Nagoya. Notable faculty members * Naomi Miyake, cognitive scientist * Koji Murofushi, Olympic hammer th ...

Center for Culture & Arts Aurora Hall. The orchestra gave their first subscription concert in October 1967. In 1971,

Hiroyuki Iwaki (6 September 193213 June 2006) was a Japanese conductor and percussionist. Biography Iwaki was born in Tokyo in 1932. Shortly after he entered an elementary school, he moved to Kyoto due to his father's transferral. He came to play the xyloph ...

became the orchestra's first general music director, with the parallel appointment of

Yoshikazu Fukumura is a Japanese conductor, formerly Music Director of the Tokyo City Ballet Company, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2016 he began his tenure as music director of the Philippine Philh ...

as 'permanent conductor'. This dual arrangement of conductors continued until the tenure of

Yuzo Toyama is a Japanese composer and conductor. A native of Tokyo, he was a pupil of Kan'ichi Shimofusa; he studied conducting with Kurt Wöss and Wilhelm Loibner and, like them, later became a conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. As a conductor h ...

as both general music director and permanent conductor from 1981 to 1987, the only conductor in the history of the orchestra to hold both titles. During the tenure of Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, the title of General Music Director was changed to Music Director, effective 2001. The title of permanent conductor was discontinued, and the post of chief conductor was instituted, starting with Ryusuke Numajiri in 2003. The orchestra's current chief conductor is

Martyn Brabbins Martyn Charles Brabbins (born 13 August 1959) is a British conductor. The fourth of five children in his family, he learned to play the euphonium, and then the trombone during his youth at Towcester Studio Brass Band. He later studied compositi ...

, who was named to the post in December 2011 and formally took up the chief conductorship with the 2013-2014 season.

Thierry Fischer Thierry Fischer (born 28 September 1957) is a Swiss orchestra conductor and flutist. Early life and education Fischer was born in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Zambia) to Swiss parents. He studied flute with Aurèle Nicolet and began h ...

, chief conductor from April 2008 through February 2011, now has the title of honorary guest conductor. The orchestra's honorary conductor since 1993 is Moshe Atzmon, who was permanent conductor from 1987 to 1993. Kobayashi has held the title of conductor laureate since 2003. As of October 2013, the orchestra has Masahiko Enkoji as its Resident Conductor and Kentaro Kawase as its Conductor.

General Music Directors/Music Directors

(1971-1974) *

Tadashi Mori was a Japanese conductor and flautist. Biography Tadashi Mori performed as flautist in his young days. He studied conducting from Hideo Saito, and started his career as conductor. He was a music director and principal conductor of the Tok ...

(1974-1980) * Yuzo Toyama (1981-1987) * Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi (General Music Director, 1998-2001; Music Director, 2001-2003)

Conductors

* Kenichi Kiyota (1966-1973) * Hiroyuki Iwaki (1971-1973) * Yoshikazu Fukumura (1971-1974) * Toshio Ukai (1972) * Tadahi Mori (1974-1980) * Shunji Aratani (1974-1980) * Yuzo Toyama (1981-1987) * Taizo Takemoto (1981-1983) * Jyunichi Hirokami (1983-1984) * Kenichiro Kobayashi (1984- ) * Kouki Tezuka (1984-1989) * * Moshe Atzmon (1987-1993) * Taijiro Iimori (1993-1998) * Ryusuke Numajiri (2003-2006) * Thierry Fischer (2008-2011) * Masahiko Enkoji (2011- ) *

(2013-2016) * Kazuhiro Koizumi (2016- )

External links

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra English-language home page

"Martyn Brabbins moves to NPO". International Arts Manager, 15 December 2011
Musical groups established in 1966 Japanese orchestras Culture in Nagoya 1966 establishments in Japan {{Japan-band-stub