Shuya Okatsu

Biography

Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Sheryl Milnes, Eva Marton, Rune Kollo, Francisco Araisa, Ingvar Wixell, Seiji Ozawa, Dennis Russel Davies - this is only a few of well-renowned artists who collaborated with Japanese conductor Shuya Okatsu.

Shuya Okatsu Born in Tokyo, in 1961, Shuya Okatsu began his very successful carrier in 1983 at the Japan Opera Foundation.

In 1988 he became an Assistant Conductor to G. M. D. Dennis Russell Davies at the Bonn State Opera. From 1991 to 1994, he was also appointed as Principal Conductor at the Gelsenkirchen Opera.

In 1996 Mr. Okatsu was chosen and appointed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra Chief-Conductor Seiji Ozawa to arrange the music for the National Anthems of National Participating in the Olympic Games of that year. As assistant to Seiji Ozawa, he also prepared the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra for a production of the opera The Magic Flute, which was staged in Japan in 1997.

In 1994, the Bonn State Opera promoted him to the post of Principal Conductor. And in August 1996 he was engaged as a Chief-Conductor at Malmo Music Theatre, Sweden.

Mr. Okatsu's really gigantic repertoire covers most of the major opera and symphonic works. He made very successful tours with Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in USA and Europe in 1994 and with Malmo Music Theatre in Spain in 1999. His guest engagements include performances with words leading symphony orchestras in all 5 continents. His CDs with Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and Malmo Music Theatre Orchestra feature works by Mozart, Schubert, Stravinsky, Bernstein etc. In 1999 he recorded a CD, featuring the modern opera Vargen Kommer, with Malmo Music Theatre that became a great success.

Highlights of the season 2001-2002 included performances of Carmen Bizet at the Japan Nikikai Opera Foundation in October 2001, Requiem Verdi at the Malmo Music Theatre in November 2001, Lucia di Lammermoor Donizetti at the Osaka Opera Foundation in November 2001 among others.