Norichika Iimori, Conductor / Yamagata Symphony Orchestra

Maestro Iimori currently holds many important posts worldwide, including that of Music Director for the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Permanent Conductor of the Izumi Symphonietta Osaka, Honorary Conductor of the Opera House Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the W?rttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra from September 2007, followed by the General Music Director tenured from the 2001 to 2006/7 season.

Born on May 17, 1963, Iimori studied under Seiji Ozawa and Jean Fournet and served as an assistant to Wolfgang Sawallish at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. He recorded a CD with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, which was highly praised, and was named guest conductor of that orchestra in 1994.

He led the European tour of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 1996. Their performance in Munich on this tour was lauded by a German newspaper that commented, ‘Iimori will surely go on to attract international attention.’

In 1999 he directed the Radio Philharmony Hannover of Northern Germany for the opening concert of the Braunschweiger Kammermusikpodium Chamber Music Festival Braunswick. Iimori has been invited to conduct many world-class ensembles including the Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt, the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK),the Moravian Philharmony
Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra of Poland, the Dortmund Opera Orchestra of Germany, the Basel Symphony Orchestra of Switzerland, Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Sinfonie Orchester Wuppertal, Philharmonie Halle and others.

Iimori completed CD recording of the Beethoven 9 Symphonies cycle with Wurttemberg
Philharmonic Orchestra, with he toured Japan in 2006.

Iimori made big success at the concert of Mahler’s First Symphony with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in the 2003, and made his US debut in 2005 with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra to great acclaim, followed by a successful re-invitation.

The rare relationships of mutual trust that Iimori has built with orchestras around the world, and the expansion of the solid network of activities reinforcing that confidence, have been highly praised, and in 2005 he was awarded the Akeo Watanabe Music Foundation Music Award. In addition, for his achievements in conducting premieres and other performances of modern works?notably including a performance of Janacek’s “The Makropoulos Affair” with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra?as well as works by Japanese composers, Iimori received the 2006 “Art Encouragement Prize for Freshman” from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In the same year, he was awarded the Kenzo Nakajima Music Award. In 2007, Iimori conducted the Japan premiere of the Henze opera L’Upupa and received rave reviews in the newspapers.

The energetic activities of Iimori and Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, including the appearance in the Academy Award winning film “Departures” in 2008, attract great attention.
Especially, for his dynamic innovation of the orchestra and contribution to the local revitalization, Iimori received the Business Innovation Award Grand Prix 2010 from Association of Management Consultants in Japan. He also received Mokichi Saito Cultural Prize from Yamagata Prefecture in 2011.

Official hoomepage:
http://www.iimori-norichika.com/