Born in Tokyo in 1946, Michiyoshi Inoue studied at Toho Gakuen School of Music under the late Hideo Saito. He came to international prominence after winning the 1971 Guido Cantelli Conducting Competition hosted by Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He made his Japanese debut in 1976 conducting a subscription concert of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Inoue has since held positions as Principal Guest Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (1977 to 1982), Music Director of the New Japan Philharmonic (1983 to 1988), Music Director and 9th Chief Conductor of the City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra (1990 to 1998), Music Director of the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (2007 to 2018), Principal Conductor of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra (2014 to 2017) making a new era of each ensemble with his novel projects and ample musicality. He has conducted not only the major Japanese orchestras, but also prestigious orchestras all over the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Budapest Festival Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra as well as Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
From 1999 to 2000, Inoue and the New Japan Philharmonic performed the integral set of Mahler symphonies, resulting in what was hailed as “the highest level of Mahler performances ever to be heard in Japan.” In 2007, he achieved great success in Tokyo both as the conductor and project leader of his Shostakovich symphony cycle concert series with five Russian and Japanese orchestras. Since this epochal event, the number of concerts programming Shostakovich has increased at a stretch in Japan, to which Inoue is said to be the most distinguished contributor. He fell seriously ill in April 2014 and returned to podium in October the same year.
Inoue has been the uncompromising general director of unique, unconventional stage projects such as the new productions of Mozart “Le Nozze di Figaro: What The Gardener Saw” staged by Hideki Noda (2015 and 2020), Bernstein “Mass” staged by Inoue himself for the 55th Osaka International Festival (2017), Mozart “Don Giovanni” staged and choreographed by Kaiji Moriyama (2019) as well as the world premiere of Inoue’s autobiographic musical opera “A Way from Surrender” staged by himself (2023).
Inoue has been awarded the International Music Prize / Crystal Prize from the Osaka Symphony Hall (1990), 9th Kenzo Nakajima Music Prize (1991), 6th Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Music Award’s Encouragement Prize for his performance of opera “Iris” (2009), Person of Cultural Merit from the Kyoto City and Omotenashi Prize from the Association for Corporate Support of the Arts known as Kigyo Mécénat Kyogikai for his performance at the Kyoto Brighton Hotel Relay Music Festival (2010), Akio Watanabe Music Foundation Special Award and TonenGeneral Music Award (2016), Osaka Prefecture Culture Prize, Osaka Cultural Festival Prize and Music Critic Club Award (2018), Arima Prize from the NHK Symphony Orchestra (2019) as well as 54th Suntory Music Award (2023). In 1998, the French government decorated him with the insignia “Chevalier” of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Currently the Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Inoue has announced his plan to retire as conductor in December 2024.
Official Website http://www.michiyoshi-inoue.com/
April 2023
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