Japan's Sapporo Symphony Orchestra Names New Chief Conductor

German conductor Elias Grandy will step into the role in April 2025

Based in Hokkaido, Japan, the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, recently named a new leader.

German conductor Elias Grandy will start in the role in April 2025 for an initial term of three years, and will spend eight weeks in Sapporo each season.

Originally a cellist, Grandy studied cello and conducting in Munich, Basel, and Berlin. He has worked as a cellist in orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Komische Oper Berlin.

Grandy's conducting career began with a position as the Resident Conductor at the Theater Darmstadt, and soon afterward, he was named the winner of the Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition. Between 2015 and 2023 he has been the General Music Director in Heidelberg.

He has recently given debut performances with the Vienna Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic, and Minnesota Orchestra.

"Sapporo Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to invite Elias Grandy as our upcoming Chief Conductor," said Ryosuke Miyashita, the Sapporo Symphony's Director of Concert Planning. "He is a unique conductor with rich knowledge and experience, full of love for the music as well as deep thoughts and ideas about the performing arts."

"I believe that Elias Grandy is the most remarkable conductor that we have met in recent years, who has the talent to let us move forward into a new era."

"From the very first time I experienced the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra I was deeply impressed by their agility, their refined technical abilities and their commitment and passion to explore the musical world of each composer," Grandy said.  "To have been asked to serve them as their Chief Conductor is a privilege and an honor."

"I am very much looking forward to our time together and can’t wait to return to their world-class concert hall Kitara with Mahler’s First Symphony in November 2024 before beginning my tenure officially in 2025. On a personal level this is a beautiful opportunity for me to reconnect to my German-Japanese heritage!"