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NHK Symphony Orchestra

The NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (NHK交響楽団, NHK Kōkyō Gakudan) is a Japanese broadcast orchestra based in Tokyo. The orchestra gives concerts in several venues, including the NHK Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

NHK Symphony Orchestra

  • New Symphony Orchestra (1926)
  • Japan Symphony Orchestra

1926 (1926)

NHK Hall, Suntory Hall

Fabio Luisi

NHK Symphony Orchestra

History[edit]

The orchestra was founded as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926, by Hidemaro Konoye, and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. Later, it changed its name to the Japan Symphony Orchestra. In 1951, after receiving financial support from NHK, the orchestra took its current name.[1]


The most recent conductor with the title of music director of the orchestra was Vladimir Ashkenazy, from 2004 to 2007. Ashkenazy now has the title of conductor laureate. Charles Dutoit, the orchestra's music director from 1998 to 2003, is now its music director emeritus. Wolfgang Sawallisch, honorary conductor from 1967 to 1994, held the title of honorary conductor laureate until his death. The orchestra's current permanent conductors are Yuzo Toyama, since 1979, and Tadaaki Otaka, since 2010. Herbert Blomstedt holds the title of honorary conductor, since 1986 and the title of honorary conductor laureate, since 2016. André Previn had the title of honorary guest conductor from 2012 until his death in 2019.


In June 2012, the orchestra named Paavo Järvi as its next chief conductor, as of the 2015–2016 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.[2] Järvi's most recent contract extension with the NHK Symphony, announced in November 2019, is through August 2022,[3] at which time he is scheduled to stand down from the orchestra.[4]


Fabio Luisi first guest-conducted the orchestra in July 2001. In April 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Luisi as its next chief conductor, effective September 2022, with an initial contract of 3 years.[4]

(January 1926 – February 1935)

Hidemaro Konoye

Josef König (April 1927 – April 1929)

Nicolai Schifferblatt (July 1929 – July 1936)

(August 1936 – September 1946, full-time conductor; March 1956 – March 1957, Principal Conductor)

Joseph Rosenstock

(April 1942 – February 1951†, full-time conductor)

Hisatada Otaka

(April 1942 – July 1951, full-time conductor)

Kazuo Yamada

Shin'ichi Takata (April 1944 – May 1951, full-time conductor)

(September 1951 – August 1954, Principal Conductor)

Kurt Wöss

(August 1954 – March 1956, Principal Conductor)

Niklaus Aeschbacher

Wilhelm Loibner (March 1957 – February 1959, Principal Conductor)

(February 1959 – March 1962, Principal Conductor)

Wilhelm Schüchter

(August 1964 – July 1965, Principal Conductor)

Alexander Rumpf

(February 1969 – June 2006†, Permanent Conductor)

Hiroyuki Iwaki

(February 1979 – May 1987†, Permanent Conductor)

Tadashi Mori

(February 1979–present, Permanent Conductor)

Yuzo Toyama

(April 1995 – July 2009†, Permanent Conductor)

Hiroshi Wakasugi

(September 1996 – August 1998, Principal Conductor; September 1998 – August 2003, music director)

Charles Dutoit

(September 2004 – August 2007, music director)

Vladimir Ashkenazy

CBE (January 2010 – present, Permanent Conductor)

Tadaaki Otaka

(October 2016 – August 2022, Chief Conductor)

Paavo Järvi

(September 2022–, Chief Conductor)

Fabio Luisi

(August 1951 – October 1985†)

Joseph Rosenstock

(January 1967 – July 1968†)

Joseph Keilberth

(January 1967 – January 1985†)

Lovro von Matačić

(January 1967 – October 1994; November 1994 – February 2013†, Honorary Conductor Laureate)

Wolfgang Sawallisch

(January 1973 – January 2010†)

Otmar Suitner

(March 1975 – July 2008†)

Horst Stein

(January 1986 – present)

Herbert Blomstedt

(September 2003 – present, Music Director Emeritus)

Charles Dutoit

(September 2007 – present, Conductor Laureate)

Vladimir Ashkenazy

(September 2012 – February 2019†, Honorary Guest Conductor)

André Previn

Radio orchestra

List of radio orchestras

Official website of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo

Media related to NHK Symphony Orchestra at Wikimedia Commons