Conductors │ Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

Music Director (-2026.3)
Artistic Advisor (2026.4-28.3)
Conductor Laureate (2028.4-)

ONO Kazushi

Kazushi Ono is currently Music Director of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of Opera of New National Theatre, Tokyo. He was formerly General Music Director of Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Music Director of La Monnaie in Brussels, Principal Guest Conductor of Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, and Principal Conductor of Opéra National de Lyon. He received numerous awards including Palmarès du Prix de la Critique, Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and Asahi Prize. He was selected to be a Person of Cultural Merits by the Japanese Government. TMSO announced that the term of Ono as Music Director was prolonged until March 2023.

http://kazushiono.com/top.php

Artist in Residence (2026.4-)

Chief Conductor (2028.4-)

Pekka KUUSISTO

Violinist, conductor and composer Pekka Kuusisto is renowned for his artistic freedom and fresh approach to repertoire. Kuusisto is Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Co-Director of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony. He frequently appears as a soloist and guest conductor with major orchestras worldwide, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Berliner Philharmoniker, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. An enthusiastic advocate for contemporary music and improvisation, he collaborates with artists from diverse backgrounds and engages in projects that blur conventional boundaries between genres.

https://www.instagram.com/pekkakuusistomusician/

Principal Guest Conductor (-2026.3)
Permanent Guest Conductor / Music Partner (2026.4-)

Alan GILBERT

Alan Gilbert is Principal Guest Conductor of TMSO, Conductor Laureate of Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at Juilliard School. He will be inaugurated as Principal Conductor of NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester in September 2019.
Gilbert was Music Director of New York Philharmonic between 2009 and 2017. He makes regular guest appearances with orchestras including Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre de Paris, Cleveland Orchestra, and Boston Symphony. He has appeared at Metropolitan Opera, Oper Zürich, and Royal Swedish Opera, among others.

http://www.alangilbert.com/en-us/

Principal Guest Conductor (2026.4-)

Daniele RUSTIONI

Daniele Rustioni is one of today’s most dynamic conductors, celebrated for his artistry across leading opera houses and major orchestras worldwide. Named “Best Conductor” at the 2022 International Opera Awards, he has served as Music Director of Opéra National de Lyon since 2015, concluding his tenure in 2025. He was the first-ever Principal Guest Conductor at the Bavarian State Opera and, and he has become Principal Guest Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2025-26 season, where he debuted in 2017. He has led acclaimed productions including Carmen, Rigoletto, and Falstaff, and made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Met Orchestra in 2023. Rustioni has held major positions with the Ulster Orchestra and Orchestra della Toscana, and appears regularly with top ensembles across Europe, the U.S., and Japan where he debuted with Madama Butterfly at the Nikkikai Opera in 2014. Other orchestras in Japan include the HPAC Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Philharmonic. Rustioni has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor at the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in the 2025-2026 season. A former student of the Milan Conservatory, Accademia Chigiana, and Royal Academy of Music, he also records for major labels including Decca, Naxos, and Sony Classical.

https://www.danielerustioni.com/

Honorary Conductor for Life

Kazuhiro KOIZUMI

Kazuhiro Koizumi studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and at Universität der Künste Berlin. After winning the 1st prize at Karajan International Conducting Competition in 1973, he has appeared with Berliner Philharmoniker and Wiener Philharmoniker, among others. Currently, he serves as Honorary Conductor for Life of TMSO, Music Director of Kyushu Symphony, Music Director of Nagoya Philharmonic, and Special Guest Conductor of Kanagawa Philharmonic.

Conductor Laureate

Eliahu INBAL

Eliahu Inbal was born in Jerusalem in 1936. He held numerous chief posts with orchestras such as Frankfurt Radio Symphony (hr-Sinfonieorchester), Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Teatro la Fenice di Venezia, and Czech Philharmonic. He was appointed Conductor Laureate of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in 2014. Many CDs of live performances by Inbal and TMSO are winning great acclaim. He was decorated by French and German Government, and by the cities of Frankfurt and Wien.

Main conductors of TMSO

Heinz HOFMANN: Permanent Conductor 1965.4-67.3

OMACHI Yoichiro: Associate Conductor 1965.4-67.3

MORI Tadashi: Music Director & Permanent Conductor 1967.4-72.3

WATANABE Akeo: Music Director & Permanent Conductor 1972.4-78.3 / Honorary Conductor 1978.12-1990.6

Moshe ATZMON: Music Adviser & Principal Conductor 1978.4-83.3

KOBAYASHI Ken-ichiro: Resident Conductor 1978.4-83.3

Zdĕnek KOŠLER: Principal Guest Conductor 1978.4-83.3 / Regular Guest Conductor 1983.4-86.3

Peter MAAG: Regular Guest Conductor 1983.4-86.3

Jean FOURNET: Regular Guest Conductor 1983.4-86.3 / Honorary Conductor 1989.12-2008.10 / Permanent Honorary Conductor 2008.11-

WAKASUGI Hiroshi: Music Director 1986.4-95.3 / Principal Conductor 1987.4-95.3

KOIZUMI Kazuhiro: Conductor 1986.4-90.3 / Principal Conductor 1995.4-98.3 / Principal Guest Conductor 1998.4-2008.3 / Resident Conductor 2008.4-2014.3 / Honorary Conductor for Life 2014.4-