Tadaaki Otaka

In recognition of his outstanding services to music in the UK, Tadaaki Otaka received an honorary CBE and is also holder of the Suntory Medal, the highest musical award in his native Japan. For twenty years he was Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and in 1987 he was made Music Director of BBC National Orchestra of Wales, before becoming their Conductor Laureate in 1996. Principal Conductor and Music Adviser of the Sapporo Symphony, he also founded Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo in 1995 and has toured with both ensembles in Europe. His extensive guest conducting has included many visits to Australia, the Far East, Europe and North America, with the orchestras of such cities as Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Oregon, Lille, Strasbourg, Bamberg, Helsinki, Oslo, The Hague and Rotterdam, and he is also a great favourite with many UK orchestras. He has recently returned to Australia for concerts with the Melbourne Symphony and his debut with the West Australian Symphony, and in March 2008 he returned to the CBSO to excellent reviews. Future plans include further visits to London Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, as well as his regular BBC NOW and Japanese commitments. His discography includes the complete Rachmaninov Symphonies and piano concertos, a Glasunov symphony cycle, Britten's Peter Grimes and works by Takemitsu, Gubaidulina, Firsova and Denisov.