VSO Conductor Laureate Kazuyoshi Akiyama returns with Violin Virtuoso Mayuko Kamio

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce the return of beloved VSO Conductor Laureate Kazuyoshi Akiyama on May 16 at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver, and May 17, & 18 at The Chan Centre in Vancouver.

Akiyama is one of the VSO’s most important Music Directors, responsible for building the modern sound of the VSO which has made the Vancouver Symphony one of the country’s top orchestras today.

His first appearance as a guest conductor with the VSO was January 1969, at the helm when the VSO marked its 50th anniversary. The performances this week will have spanned more than 50 years since his initial appearance with the VSO. Maestro Akiyama was music director from 1972 to 1985 and at the end of his tenure, he was named Conductor Laureate.

During his time as Music Director, the VSO undertook two tours of Japan, a cross-Canada tour, a US West Coast tour, and several tours of British Columbia.

The program is a distillation of Akiyama’s earliest programs with the VSO and includes Respighi, Mozart, Bach and Mendelssohn.

Violin virtuoso Mayuko Kamio will join him as he conducts a historic program, with pieces selected from his very first concerts as Music Director in 1972. Praised worldwide for her luxurious, silken tone and virtuosic technique, Mayuko Kamio and her 1727 Stradivarius violin are the perfect match for Mozart’s enchanting Violin Concerto No. 3.

“…a radiant talent…”

— The New York Times

Program

Respighi Ancient Airs & Dances: Suite 3

Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, Strasbourg

Bach Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major

Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Italian

Artists

Kazuyoshi Akiyama Conductor

Mayuko Kamio Violin

Thursday, May 16 at 8PM, Centennial Theatre

Friday & Saturday, May 17 & 18 at 8PM, The Chan Centre

Violin Masterclass with Mayuko Kamio

Watch Mayuko share the secrets of her artistry with four of the VSO School of Music’s advanced young violin students, in an intimate masterclass setting at the VSO School of Music in Pyatt Hall on May 15 from 5PM-7PM.

Enroll in a violin masterclass presented by Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio. The gold medalist of the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, is widely praised for her luxurious silken tone, long expressive phrasing and virtuoso techniques. The New York Times has called Ms. Kamio an “exciting young musician” and “a radiant talent.”

Join us for an intimate afternoon of music and education. The masterclass will be followed by a small reception in the Willms Salon.

About Kazuyoshi Akiyama

In February 1964, a year after graduating, Mr. Akiyama made his debut engagement with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. The tremendous success of this collaboration led to his nomination for the dual posts of Music Director and Permanent Conductor just two months later.

Overseas, his conducting successes began with U.S. and European tours of the Toho Gakuen School of Music Orchestra. He quickly went on to conduct various orchestras in Canada and the U.S., the success of these partnerships leading to Mr. Akiyama being invited to hold professional posts as Assistant Conductor of the Toronto Symphony (1968-1969), Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra (1973-1978), and Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (1972-1985). In 1985, he was granted the title of Conductor Laureate of the Vancouver Symphony upon leaving his post there and from 1985 to 1993, Maestro Akiyama held the post of Music Director to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

For more on  Kazuyoshi Akiyama, read his full bio here.

About Mayuko Kamio

Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio, the gold medalist of the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, is widely praised for her luxurious silken tone, long expressive phrasing and virtuoso techniques. The New York Times has called Ms. Kamio an “exciting young musician” and “a radiant talent.” Ms. Kamio made her concerto debut in Tokyo at the age of ten under the baton of Charles Dutoit, in a concert broadcast on NHK television. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich with Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta.

As a winner of the 1998 Menuhin International Violin Competition, the youngest artist ever to win the award, Ms. Kamio performed with the Orchestra National de Lille with Lord Menuhin conducting. In 2000 she took first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and in 2004 she won the first Monte Carlo Violin Masters Competition. As part of this award, she made concerto appearances at the Salle Gaveau in Paris with the Orchestra of the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris conducted by Jean-Michel Durand, and in Monte Carlo with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monaco, conducted by Eliahu Inbal. That same year, she was awarded the gold medal at the first International David Oistrakh Violin Competition in Ukraine.

For more on  Mayuko Kamio, read her full bio here.

About the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada’s most active and successful performing arts institutions; the largest performing arts organization west of Ontario and the third largest symphony orchestra in the country.

The VSO performs to an annual audience of over 250,000 people and features more than 50 celebrated guest artists each season. Over 170 concerts are performed annually by the VSO in the historic Orpheum Theatre and numerous additional venues throughout the Lower Mainland. 2018/2019 marks the organization’s 100th season.

Media release, image, and video provided by Sarah Yu, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

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