2013.09.30

【NEWS】 Michiyoshi Inoue appointed as the Principal Conductor of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra (Press Conference Report) *September 2013

◆Press Conference Report

Wednesday 25th September, 2013, 17:30-18:30

At the Nakanoshima Festival Tower, Osaka (“Festival Sweet” room on 37th floor)



（Speakers）

Michiyoshi Inoue / Conductor & New Principal Conductor, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra

Kusuo Sasaki / Executive Director – Chief Executive Officer, Osaka Philharmonic

Association

Osamu Fukuyama / Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Osaka Philharmonic Association

Hiroshi Nishibe / General Manager, Festival Hall (Osaka)

Masahide Kajimoto / President, KAJIMOTO (Michiyoshi Inoue’s management office)

（Press Conference topics: excerpts）

●Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra’s new era with Mr. Inoue

The Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra announced Mr. Inoue as their new Principal Conductor.

The contract will start from April 2014 for three years (annually renewed).

Mr. Inoue will be the very first “Principal Conductor” in the long history of the Osaka

Philharmonic, it’s partially because he will continue to serve as the “Music Director” of the

Orchestra Ensemble of Kanazawa and thus, the two functions should be defined.

Mr. Inoue will assume the general responsibility for the Osaka Philharmonic‘s Musical

Division as a matter of practice.

●New politics for cultural promotion at Festival Hall, Osaka Philharmonic‘s new home-hall

Formerly, since 1963, the Osaka Philharmonic organized their subscription concerts in the

Festival Hall before moving their home-hall to the Symphony Hall (Osaka) in 2013.

Starting in 2014, the orchestra will once again use the Festival Hall as their main hall.

（Comments by Mr. Inoue：excerpts）

●When I heard about this offer for the first time, I hesitated. But I finally decided to accept it

because I think that Osaka city has high potential. In 1958 when the Festival Hall opened,

that had a great influence on the world. Then in 1982, Osaka city got the Symphony Hall,

designed specifically and exclusively for classical music. I thought this culturally leading city

had to have more to its image than its Takoyaki (octopus dumplings, which are Osaka’s

specialty).

●As for the classical music world in Japan, it is expanding to wider and more diverse

people, which is the phenomenon Japan boasts to the world. We the professional

musicians, who are the pioneers in the field, have to be more ahead of the times. Then we

have to make the musician an occupation that many young people hope to be.

●I feel Osaka city’s charm is their “friendliness” in a variety of meanings. Thirty-five years

ago when I conducted the Osaka Philharmonic for the first time, the orchestra

was“speaking”the Kansai-region dialect when they played, and they had very interesting

originalities that I appreciated. Of course, I still like very much the Osaka Philharmonic’s

musicality and that’s the reason why I accepted to be the Principal Conductor. I think we

must make an enormous effort to successfully move the subscription concerts to the

Festival Hall. I would like to create a comfortable environment so that the hall could nurture

the orchestra.

(Osaka Philharmonic’s 2014 season lineup)

As of 2014 Nov:

Subscription concerts http://www.osaka-phil.com/concert/

Schedule http://www.osaka-phil.com/schedule/