SHIZUO Z KUWAHARA

 

 

 

The First Prize winner of the prestigious Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition in Frankfurt, Germany, Shizuo Z Kuwahara is a principal guest conductor of The Mariinsky Theatre, Russia. His conducting career ascended rapidly after winning the Solti Competition, leading to conducting invitations from Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchesters Saarbrücken, Polish Chamber Orchestra, L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, and Frankfurt Museumsorchester. With the invitation from Valery Gergiev, Kuwahara made a sensational debut at The Mariinsky Theatre with the production of Verdi’s La Traviata in 2018, which resulted in a long term relationship with the company. He was immediately invited back to conduct Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Puccini’s Tosca, Verdi’s Macbeth and several orchestral programs. He has recently made a debut with The Mariinsky Ballet Company, conducting the premiere production of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. This season, he is scheduled to conduct Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s Turandot and several other opera, ballet and orchestral productions.

A Japanese-American residing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Mr. Kuwahara has led performances throughout Europe, North & South America, and Asia, including performances with Frankfurt Museum Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Salta, Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Osaka Symphony Osaka, Denmark National Symphony Orchestra, and Wrocław Philharmonic. He was also an assistant and cover conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and Orchestra de Paris.

Mr. Kuwahara was with the Philadelphia Orchestra as a staff conductor and the League of American Orchestras conducting fellow, covering and leading numerous concerts as an apprentice to Christoph Eschenbach. Other past positions include assistant conductor to Seiji Ozawa at the Saito Kinen Festival, conducting the Ozawa Jyuku Orchestra. He also served as an assistant conductor to Valery Gergiev at the Pacific Music Festival. At the beginning of his career, Mr. Kuwahara served as Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Activities at the College of William & Mary and American University, as well as an associate conductor of the Virginia Symphony. He has served as the music director of Augusta Symphony in Georgia, USA.

In addition to winning the first prize at the Solti Competition, he received additional prizes from the Malko International Conducting Competition, Ionel Perlea International Conducting Competition, Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting, the Prokofiev International Conducting Competition and Fitelberg International Competition. He is also a recipient of Georg Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, Georgia Trend 2011 40 Under 40, Augusta Region’s Top Ten in Ten Young Professionals, 2011 Greater Augusta Arts Council Art Professional Award, and 2011 S&R Washington Award. Since 2016, he serves as the Ambassador of Tourism of the City of Yokkaichi, Japan, a city where Mr. Kuwahara grew up.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Kuwahara received Master’s Degree of conducting at Yale University, where he was awarded the Charles Ives Full Scholarship and the Eleazar de Carvalho Prize. He has Bachelor’s Degree from Eastman School of Music, and awarded Arts Leadership Program Certificate, Performer's Certificate and the George Eastman Scholarship. In addition to studying with David Effron and Lawrence Leighton Smith at these conservatories, Mr. Kuwahara has also studied with Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Timothy Muffitt and Michael Jinbo at various conducting institutions, including Aspen Music Festival National Conducting Institute, Pierre Monteux School, and Chautauqua Music Institute.