Founded in 1946 as the Toho Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble adopted its current name, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, in 1951. It presents subscription concerts at Suntory Hall, Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, and Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, and has received nearly all major music awards in Japan, including the Minister of Education Award. In addition to serving as the resident orchestra of the New National Theatre, Tokyo, the orchestra is actively engaged in collaborations with local governments such as Kawasaki City and Niigata City, as well as in a wide range of community and educational programs, including the “Kodomo Subscription Concerts” and Kids Programme～Orchestra Experience from the age of “0 years”. Its international activities, including performances at the Musikverein in Vienna and the “Asia Project,” have also attracted considerable attention.

The orchestra has further distinguished itself as a leader in digital innovation within the classical music world, being the first Japanese orchestra to launch a music and video streaming subscription service, as well as introducing VR orchestra experiences and electronic ticketing. In 2020, a live-streamed concert without an audience on the Nico Nico Live platform drew approximately 200,000 viewers, and in December 2022, its performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9—filmed with a record 45 cameras—garnered widespread attention.

In recent years, under the leadership of its third Music Director, Jonathan Nott, the orchestra has attracted significant attention as one of Japan’s leading orchestras. In Ongaku no Tomo magazine’s “Top 10 Concerts,” Salome (2022) was ranked second, followed by Elektra (2023), which was ranked first. The third and final of the project, Der Rosenkavalier (December 2024), also received outstanding critical acclaim.

Lorenzo Viotti becomes 4th Music Director in April 2026.

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Born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1990, he is an award-winning conductor, having won major competitions including the Cadaqués Orchestra and MDR Conducting Competitions, and receiving the Nestlé Young Conductors Award at the 2015 Salzburg Festival. He served as Chief Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra (2018–2021) and later of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera (2021–2025). He has conducted leading orchestras such as the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, Royal Concertgebouw, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and appeared at major opera houses including Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, and La Scala. He debuted in Japan with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and becomes 4th Music Director in April 2026.
He will become the General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House from August 2028.

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Born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1990. Winner of the Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition and the MDR Conducting Competition, among others, he received the Nestlé Young Conductors Award at the 2015 Salzburg Festival. He served as Chief Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra (2018–2021) and is Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera (2021–2025). He has conducted orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Berlin Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestra. In opera, he has guest-conducted at the Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, and La Scala in Milan, earning high acclaim. He made his Japanese debut in 2014 with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In August 2024, marking the 10th anniversary of their first collaboration, he was appointed the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and becomes 4th Music Director in April 2026.

He will become the General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House from August 2028.

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Born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1990. Among conductors of his generation, he is one of the most highly regarded, earning acclaim from Europe’s leading orchestras and opera houses for his charismatic presence, profound emotional depth, and diverse musicality demonstrated in both orchestral works and opera. Emerging on the international stage at a young age, he has built his career centered on major music cities and is now in high demand throughout the global music world.

He studied piano, voice, and percussion in Lyon, participated in Georg Mark’s conducting course in Vienna, and further honed his conducting skills under Nicolas Pasquet at the Liszt Academy. In 2015, he won the Nestlé Young Conductor Award at the Salzburg Festival, catapulting him into the international spotlight. He was also selected as the International Opera Awards’ “Newcomer of the Year,” rapidly gaining global recognition.

In 2018, he conducted Puccini’s Tosca at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, earning high praise in Japan. From 2018 to 2021, he served as Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Gulbenkian in Portugal. From 2021 to 2025, he held the position of Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch National Opera, establishing an international career in both orchestral and operatic fields.

He has also made numerous guest appearances with world-renowned orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

He made a sensational debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 2014. Ten years after their first collaboration, in August 2024, he was appointed as the orchestra’s next Music Director, taking up the position as its 4th Music Director in April 2026.

He will become the General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House from August 2028.

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Born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1990. One of the most celebrated conductors of his generation. His charismatic presence, profound emotional depth, and astonishing versatility across both orchestral works and opera have earned him acclaim, making him highly sought after by Europe’s leading orchestras and opera houses.

He studied piano, voice, and percussion in Lyon, then participated in Georg Mark’s conducting course in Vienna. He studied conducting with Nicolas Pasquet at the Liszt Academy and won the Nestlé Young Conductor Prize at the 2015 Salzburg Festival. He has also triumphed in numerous prestigious conducting competitions, including the Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition and the MDR Conducting Competition. In 2017, he was named “Newcomer of the Year” at the International Opera Awards held in London. He conducted Tosca at the New National Theatre, Tokyo in 2018 to great acclaim. He served as Principal Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Portugal from 2018 to 2021, and as Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch National Opera from 2021 to 2025.

For the 2025/26 season, he is scheduled to collaborate with the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Filarmonica della Scala. He also continues to guest conduct with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Berlin Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In June 2024, he led the Vienna Philharmonic on a tour of Germany, Switzerland, and Spain.

He is also passionate about opera. For the 2025/26 season, he will make his debut at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain, with Faust, conduct Die Fledermaus at the Zurich Opera House, and Puccini’s “Trittico” at the Vienna State Opera. During his tenure as Principal Conductor of the Dutch National Opera, he earned high acclaim for the Amsterdam premiere of “Die Fledermaus,” a new production of Britten’s “Peter Grimes,” and a three-year Puccini cycle with director Barry Kosky.

His Tokyo Symphony Orchestra debut came in July 2014 during the Tokyo Opera City Series, conducting Smetana’s “Vltava” from “My Country,” Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. This performance marked not only his Japanese debut but also his professional orchestral debut, and despite stepping in as a last-minute replacement, he delivered a stunning debut. Since then, he has collaborated with the orchestra five times: in 2016, 2019 (twice), and 2023. In August 2024, marking the 10th anniversary of their first collaboration, he was appointed the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra’s next Music Director, taking up the position as its 4th Music Director in April 2026.

He will become the General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House from August 2028.

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Coming soon

Yoshitaka Hirooka was born in Kobe, Japan in 1974. He spent childhood in Paris, France, and started playing the violin at the age of 3. He graduated from Rokko Junior High School and Music Department of Nishinomiya High School (Hyogo). He studied at the New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, USA) while a student at Tokyo University of the Arts. After graduating, he joined the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in 1998. He became Managing Director on 1 August 2022 after serving as TSO assistant Concertmaster for 24 years.