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One of the leading conductors of his generation, Naoto Otomo is constantly in demand, regularly conducting all the major Japanese orchestras.
Mr. Otomo began his career at the age of 21 as Assistant Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and made his debut with the orchestra a year later. After five years with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, he went on to hold posts at the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he gave a highly successful tour of Europe in 1986. Mr. Otomo also enjoys a very close relationship with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, conducting them regularly in Japan as well as leading them on several tours: Southeast Asia in 1988 and throughout Europe in 1994 and 1996. Recent activities outside Japan include, include performances with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Colorado Symphony and the Indianapolis orchestras.
In 1992, Naoto Otomo and contemporary composer Shigeaki Saegusa combined strengths to form the Japan Virtuoso Symphony Orchestra. This ad hoc group is made up of members from the ranks of Tokyo's nine major orchestras and performs several times a year throughout Japan. The ensemble has achieved great recognition, through not only their live performances, but also through broadcasts on NHK television and radio, and CD releases on Sony Music.
Mr. Otomo made his opera debut in November 1988 with Weber's Freischutz to the enthusiastic acclaim of press and audiences alike. Following this triumph, he continued with a succession of opera productions including Gluck's Orfeo and Eurydice with Tokyo's Nissay Arts Theater (1990-1991); Verdi's Rigoletto, together with the Nikikai Opera Foundation (1991-1992); and The Magic Flute, as the first opera performance to be staged at Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater (1992-1993). During the 1997 season, he conducted the world premiere Chushingura by Shigeaki Saegusa.
Naoto Otomo's career includes collaborations with a host of international
artists including: violinists Gil Shaham, Augustin Dumay, Frank Peter Zimmermann,
Joshua Bell, Shlomo Mintz, Régis Pasquier, and Jean-Jacques Kantorow;
violists Yuri Bashmet, Bruno Pasquier, and Gérard Caussé;
cellists Mario Brunello and David Geringas; pianists Radu Lupu, André
Watts, Stephen Kovacevich, Bruno-Leonardo Gelber, Ivan Moravec, Jean-Yves
Thibaudet, Cyprien Katsaris, Jean-Phillipe Collard, Cristina Ortiz, Christian
Ivaldi, Hüseyin Sermet, Georges Pludermacher, and Hélène
Grimaud; trumpeter Maurice André; soprano Sumi Jo and tenor José
Carreras. His successful partnerships with these artists have resulted
in requests for further collaborations.
Since his first recording at the age of 20, Mr. Otomo's wide repertoire, ranging from classical to contemporary works, has been featured on numerous other releases.
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