MEET THE CONDUCTOR: Morihiko Nakahara

Morihiko Nakahara conducts DEBUSSY'S LA MER
November 11 at 8PM

Background: The 2023-2024 season marks Morihiko Nakahara’s 16th season as Music Director of the South Carolina Philharmonic. As a guest conductor, Nakahara will conduct multiple programs with both the Virginia Symphony and the Spokane Symphony, and will also appear with the Florida Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.

Known for his charismatic presence on and off the podium, innovative and audience-friendly programming skills, and thoughtful interpretations of both standard and contemporary repertoire, Nakahara was featured in the League of American Orchestra’s prestigious Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview in March 2005. Past guest conducting engagements include appearances with the Buffalo Philharmonic, symphonies of Oregon, Jacksonville, Virginia, Portland, Charleston, Long Beach, Chattanooga, Ann Arbor, Stockton, Lansing, Peoria, and Green Bay, as well as with the Chicago Pro Musica. Recipient of the David Effron Conducting Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institution in 1999, he recently returned to guest conduct the Music School Festival Orchestra there.

Equally at home in a wide variety of musical styles and concert formats, Nakahara is a tireless advocate for commissioning and performing new music as well as for introducing works by underrepresented composers past and present. A personable ambassador for the power of symphonic music in every community, he is also known for leading concerts synchronizing live orchestral soundtrack with film including the Star Wars franchise, Jurassic Park, and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, to name a few.

A native of Kagoshima, Japan, Nakahara holds degrees from Andrews University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He previously served as Resident Conductor of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Holland Symphony Orchestra (Michigan), and served on the faculty at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Eastern Washington University, and Andrews University. Nakahara and his family reside in Yorktown, Virginia.

Tickets start at $20! Click HERE or call 401-248-7000 to purchase today!