NHK Symphony Orchestra facts for kids

The headquarter of NHK Symphony Orchestra

Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai The NHK Symphony Orchestra is a Japanese orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. In Japanese it is written: NHK交響楽団, pronounced: Enueichikei Kōkyō Gakudan. When the orchestra was started in 1926 it was called New Symphony Orchestra. It was the first large professional orchestra in Japan. Later, it changed its name to Japan Symphony Orchestra. In 1951 it started to get money from the Japanese radio station NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai), so it changed its name again to the name it has now. It is thought of as the best orchestra in Japan. They have played in many parts of the world, including at the BBC Proms in London.

Vladimir Ashkenazy is the orchestra's main conductor (music director) and Charles Dutoit is music director emeritus. Wolfgang Sawallisch is honorary conductor laureate.

Permanent Conductors, Music Directors and Principal Guest Conductors

• Josef König (April 1927–April 1929)
• Hidemaro Konoye (January 1926–February 1935)
• Nicolai Schifferblatt (July 1929–July 1936)
• Joseph Rosenstock (August 1936–September 1946 full-time conductor; March 1956–March 1957 Principal Conductor)
• Hisatada Otaka (April 1942–February 1951 full-time conductor)
• Kazuo Yamada (April 1942–July 1951 full-time conductor)
• Shin'ichi Takata (April 1944–May 1951 full-time conductor)
• Kurt Wöss (September 1951–August 1954 Principal Conductor)
• Niklaus Aeschbacher (August 1954–March 1956 Principal Conductor)
• Wilhelm Loibner (March 1957–February 1959 Principal Conductor)
• Wilhelm Schuchter (February 1959–March 1962 Principal Conductor)
• Alexander Rumpf (August 1964–July 1965 Principal Conductor)
• Hiroyuki Iwaki (February 1969–June 2006 Permanent Conductor)
• Yuzo Toyama (February 1979– Permanent Conductor)
• Tadashi Mori (February 1979–May 1987 Permanent Conductor)
• Hiroshi Wakasugi (April 1995–July 2009 Permanent Conductor)
• Charles Dutoit (September 1996–August 1998 Principal Conductor; September 1998–August 2003 Music Director)
• Vladimir Ashkenazy (September 2004–August 2007 Music Director)
• André Previn, KBE (September 2009– Principal Guest Conductor)
• Tadaaki Otaka, CBE (January 2010– Permanent Conductor)

Honorary Conductors

• Vladimir Ashkenazy (September 2007– Conductor Laureate)
• Charles Dutoit (September 2003– Music Director Emeritus)
• Herbert Blomstedt (January 1986–)
• Horst Stein (March 1975–)
• Otmar Suitner (January 1973–)
• Wolfgang Sawallisch (January 1967–October 1994; November 1994– Honorary Conductor Laureate)
• Lovro von Matačić (January 1967–January 1985)
• Joseph Keilberth (January 1967–July 1968)
• Joseph Rosenstock (August 1951–October 1985)