Yasuo Shinozaki

In a remarkably short time, Yasuo Shinozaki has acquired a truly international reputation for his emotionally direct style of music making. Born in Japan, he studied in Vienna, Sienna and the United States, came to prominence in Finland, and spent three successful years as Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic before making his home in London. He has also scored notable success in his homeland.

Yasuo Shinozaki studied conducting with Leopold Hager at the Vienna Musikhochschule, with Myung-Whun Chung at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna, and with Seiji Ozawa and Bernard Haitink at Tanglewood. In 2000 he took second prize at the Second International Sibelius Conducting Competition, directing the Helsinki Philharmonic in a memorably emotional performance of Sibelius’ Second Symphony. He was immediately invited to conduct the same orchestra in a performance of Dvořák’s New World Symphony, and given engagements with the Turku Philharmonic. Also in Finland he has worked with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic and Tapiola Sinfonietta. In January 2007, Yasuo Shinozaki was appointed Chief Conductor / Artistic Director of the Kymi Sinfonietta based in Kotka and Kouvola in Finland, and continues to conduct with them throughout this season.

As Assistant Conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic between August 2001 and September 2004 he conducted more than 40 concerts. In addition to subscription concerts in the new Walt Disney Concert Hall, he conducted the orchestra on regional tours, at the Hollywood Bowl and in education and community events. He also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group.

His extensive work in Japan includes engagements with the Tokyo Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmoniker and the New Japan Philharmonic and he has conducted at Japanese opera houses including the Tokyo Nikikai Opera and Japan National Opera, where he made his opera debut with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. In the UK he has worked with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic. Other orchestras which have engaged him in recent years include the Frankfurt Radio, Wuertembergischer Philharmonic, Swedish Radio, Vasteras Sinfonietta, Norrlands Symphony, Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and BIT20 Ensemble (for the Ultima Festival). In 2008 Yasuo Shinozaki appears with orchestras including the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra of South Africa and a return to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

‘There seemed to be a special chemistry between Shinozaki and the orchestra… His account of the Mahler symphony, conducted from memory, was masterly.’ Los Angeles Times