Festa Summer MUZA KAWASAKI 2025
Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra18:20-

Long based in Germany, Motonori Kobayashi was born in Chiba, Japan. He studied conducting under Francis Travis and Masahisa Endo at Tokyo University of the Arts, earing both bachelor and master's degrees. In 1998, he received Heiwa Nakajima Foundation Scholarship and continued his study at the Universität der Künste in Berlin under Mathias Husmann, also supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.

In 2000, he became the korrepetitor and music assistant of Deutsche Oper am Rhein, also playing the harpsichord for their Monteverdi cycle and operas of Handel and Mozart. In 2008, he contracted as the exclusive conductor of Theater Dortmund, and in 2013, he became the first kapellmeister and the deputy of the general music director there, making him the only Japanese conductor who has the position higher than the first kapellmeister in major German opera houses.

With Theater Dortmund, he has conducted "Rosenkavalier" "Arabella" "Otello" "La Traviata" "Falstaff" "Tristan und Isolde" "Peter Grimes" and many others. In 2020, he conducted the new production of "Die Stumme von Portici" directed by Peter Konwitschny, and it was highly acclaimed.

In the 2023/24 season, he conducted "La Boheme" and "Orpheus in the Underworld" at Theater Dortmund, and guest-conducted Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal. In Japan, he conducted Osaka Symphony Orchestra in 2018 and "Swan Lake" with Ballett am Rhein in 2019, both very successful. He went on to conduct Ballett an Rhein for their performance in Düsseldorf. Other opera houses he has conducted include Manheim National Theatre with "Die Zauberflöte" and Komische Oper Berlin with "Don Giovanni." He has been regularly conducting Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra since 2021.

Born in Maebashi, Gunma, Japan, Yoko Kikuchi graduated from Toho Girls' Senior High School music course and went on to study at Imola International Academy Foundation "Incontri con il Maestro" in Italy under Franco Scala, and Stefano Fiuzzi for the fortepiano.

In 2002, she won the first prize at the 8th International Mozart Competition as the first Japanese winner. In 2003, she performed a highly successful concert at Salzburg Festival's Mozart Matinee with Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, conducted by Ivor Bolton. In autumn 2004, she toured with Leipzig String Quartet in Japan, and in 2006 gave a recital in Vienna as well as major concert halls in Japan including Suntory Hall, Festival Hall, and Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara. She was also a soloist with Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa for their Asian tour.

In 2008, she collaborated with Ensemble Wien-Berlin, in 2010 gave a recital at Tonhalle Zürich, and since 2011 she has been regularly invited to Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. In 2012, she gave a recital at Verdi Hall in Milan and performed at Teatro Auditorium Manzoni in Bologna as well as appeared as a soloist with NDR Radiophilharmonie.

In 2009 and 2018 through 2019, she organized an ambitious project of performing all Mozart's piano sonatas on both the fortepiano and modern piano.

She has performed with not only major orchestras in Japan but also a number of orchestras overseas including Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester, Berlin Symphoniker, Filarmonicii Brașov, and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

She has also appeared in ballet collaborative performances, performing with world renowned ballet dancers such as Diana Vishneva and Miyako Yoshida.

Also active in recording, she released her latest "J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations" (avex) and "Wiegenlieder Fantasien" (King International) in 2023 which were both highly anticipated and acclaimed.

She was the first winner of the Jomo Art and Culture Award, and in 2007 she won the Idemitsu Music Award.

Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra was founded in April 1962 by three members of The Yomiuri Group - The Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper company, Nippon Television Network Corporation, and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation.

Sebastian WEIGLE has been the orchestra's Principal Conductor since April 2019, and the orchestra has Juraj VALČUHA as Principal Guest Conductor, SUZUKI Masato as Associate Conductor & Creative Partner, Sylvain CAMBRELING as Conductor Laureate, OTAKA Tadaaki as Honorary Guest Conductor, and KOBAYASHI Ken-ichiro as Special Guest Conductor.

Since its foundation, YNSO worked regularly with Willem van OTTERLOO, Kurt SANDERLING, Kurt MASUR, Heinz RÖGNER, Gennady ROZHDESTVENSKY, Gerd ALBRECHT, Rafael FRÜHBECK de BURGOS, and Yuri TEMIRKANOV. YNSO also has invited distinguished conductors including A. KHACHATURIAN, L. STOKOWSKI, S. CELIBIDACHE, L. MAAZEL, and Fabio LUISI and world-renowned soloists such as A. RUBINSTEIN, S. RICHTER, M. ARGERICH, Yo-Yo MA, G. KREMER, and MIDORI. Recently, YNSO has performed with I. POGORELICH, Rudolf BUCHBINDER, Pierre-Laurent AIMARD, Isabelle FAUST, Renaud CAPUÇON, Antoine TAMESTIT, and Daniel LOZAKOVICH, to name only a few.

YNSO currently has seven major concert series in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka, and some performances are broadcast on television through Nippon Television Network and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation.

In April 2017, YNSO saw its 55th anniversary and performed Messiaen's opera “Saint François d'Assise” in concert style with CAMBRELING. It was the Japan premiere as a full-length performance and was highly acclaimed by people in various fields, receiving the 49th Suntory Music Award. Other prizes and awards YNSO has received include the National Festival Prize (1968), the National Arts Festival Excellent Award (2000), the Yoshio Sagawa Music Award (2004), and the Grand Prize of the 77th Agency for Cultural Affairs National Arts Festival (2022). In October 2024, WEIGLE led the Europe Tour which was the orchestra's first Europe tour in nine years, performing successfully in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Official Website https://yomikyo.or.jp/e/