The new Music Director of the Columbus Symphoy Orchestra, Junichi Hirokami began his career at the age of 26, after winning the first Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in Amsterdam. The jury included distinguished international musicians Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Ashkenazy. Ashkenazy subsequently invited Hirokami to conduct the NHK Symphony Orchestra during a 1985 tour of Japan.  The success of that tour was followed by another collaboration with Ashkenazy the following year, with the Orchestre National de Paris.

Since 1990 he has conducted several major orchestras in Europe, including the Concertgebouw, the Oslo and Stockholm Philharmonics, the Vienna Symphony, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra.  Between 1988 and 1995 he worked with Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden where, during his tenure as Chief Conductor, he recorded for the Swedish “BIS” and Japanese “Fun House” labels, toured the orchestra to Japan, and oversaw the building of a state-of-the-art concert hall. 

In 1989 Hirokami made his operatic debut in a new production of Verdi's “UN BALLO IN MASCHERA” with the Australian Opera in Sydney, and was immediately re-invited to conduct “RIGOLETTO” in 1990 and “LA FORZA DEL DESTINO” in 1992.  Hirokami served as chief conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra in Holland, directing their opera as well.  He was the first Japanese conductor to direct the Israel Philharmonic, and continues his appearances there every two years under special engagement.

Hirokami launched his North American career in 1996 with the Toronto Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dallas Symphony.  He has been invited back regularly to each of these orchestras.  Other recent engagements include Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Ottawa, St Louis, Seattle, Vancouver and Winnipeg and Charlotte.  During the 2004-05 season, Hirokami made his debut with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra who subsequently appointed him as their new Music Director in January 2006. His three-year tenure begins in June this year. Hirokami was selected from a pool of 22 candidates considered during a three-and-a-half year search process, and will be the seventh music director of the 54-year-old Columbus Symphony.

In England Hirokami had a sensational debut in April 2000 with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, following overwhelming successes with the London Philharmonic, London Symphony, and several of the regional and BBC Orchestras.  He has worked regularly with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 1992, and recorded with them several times for Denon -- including a highly praised release of Mahler Symphony No. 4 and Berlioz Symphony Fantastique. He was also principal guest conductor with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic from 1997-2000, achieving great success directing choral works including Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Brahms' German Requiem, Mozart's Requiem, and Haydn's “Creation”.

The Japan Philharmonic named Maestro Hirokami its Principal Guest Conductor in 1991. Other regular engagements in Japan include concerts with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic, Sapporo Symphony, Kyushu Symphony and the Sendai Philharmonic.

During the 2005/06 season, Hirokami has been invited to conduct the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Bilbao Symphony, and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestras to name but a few.