Press Contact:
FORT WORTH, TX –– (SEPTEMBER 15, 2022) –– Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Taichi Fukumura as Assistant Conductor. Mr. Fukumura will begin his two-year appointment beginning in the 2022–2023 season working directly with Music Director Robert Spano. A two-time recipient of the prestigious Career Assistance Award from The Solti Foundation U.S., he is a gifted, young conductor who will make a significant contribution to the implementation of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s new artistic vision.
Mr. Fukumura is passionate about community engagement and education. In his work with Music Director Robert Spano and President and CEO Keith Cerny, Ph.D., he will be an integral part of FWSO Education and Community initiatives by building out a new education program featuring refreshed, TEKS-aligned curriculums and a focus on collaborative opportunities with area educational institutions.
Music Director Robert Spano said:
“I am very excited that Taichi will be joining us at the FWSO. Not only did he distinguish himself among a group of impressive and competitive candidates, but he has already guest conducted the FWSO and displayed tremendous chemistry with the orchestra. We are looking forward to many more exciting concerts with Mr. Fukumura.”
President and CEO Keith Cerny, Ph.D. said:
“The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is delighted to welcome Taichi Fukumura in the 2022–2023 season. He will have an extraordinary opportunity to work closely with Music Director Robert Spano over the next two seasons and we are looking forward to seeing him flourish in Fort Worth.”
Taichi Fukumura said:
“I am elated to join the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as the new Assistant Conductor. It is a special honor to receive this appointment during Maestro Robert Spano’s inaugural season: a time of exciting artistic growth for the organization. I cannot wait to work with the incredibly passionate musicians and visionary leadership of FWSO to share wonderful musical experiences with our community, local and beyond.”
For more information about Taichi Fukumura: fwsymphony.org/Taichi-Fukumura
For press images: Taichi Fukumura, Assistant Conductor
ABOUT TAICHI FUKUMURA
Taichi Fukumura is a rising Japanese-American conductor known for his dynamic stage presence, resulting in a growing international career. Acclaimed for his musical finesse and passionate interpretations, he is praised by musicians and audiences alike across the United States, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, and Japan. A two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award in 2021 and 2022, Fukumura is the newly appointed Assistant Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights from the 2021/22 season include guest conducting debuts with La Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Fort Worth Symphony. Selected by the Berlin Philharmonic as one of 10 Assistant Conductor Candidates, Fukumura conducted in the Siemens Conductors Scholarship Competition. Fukumura served as the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta, where he previously received mentorship from Music Director Mei-Ann Chen as a Freeman Conducting Fellow.
Past engagements include guest conducting in the Boston Symphony’s Community Chamber Concerts, leading members of the BSO in Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat. Fukumura assisted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Philharmonic as cover conductor. Equally adept in opera conducting, he has led full productions of Britten’s Turn of the Screw and Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Northwestern University Opera Theatre. As Staff Conductor at Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (the only youth orchestra in the country to present annual opera productions), he led rehearsals of many monumental works including Puccini’s La Boheme.
Passionate advocate for music education, Fukumura previously served as Director of Orchestras at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. In this capacity, he worked alongside the Mellon-supported Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, building a robust orchestral training program for young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds. As the Founding Artistic Director of the Northwestern Medical Orchestra, he has led the endowed ensemble to national acclaim. Recognized for his innovations and dedication to the community, Taichi Fukumura was appointed by the mayor to the Evanston Arts Council in Illinois, and served from 2021-2022 to empower and amplify local artists and arts organizations.
Born in Tokyo, Taichi Fukumura was raised in Boston and began music studies at age three on the violin. Professionally trained on the instrument, he received a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from Boston University, studying with Peter Zazofsky. Fukumura received both his Doctoral and Masters degrees in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, studying with Victor Yampolsky. Additional conducting studies include the Aspen Music Festival conducting fellowship with Robert Spano, mentorship in Paris with Pierre-Michel Durand and l’Orchestre Prométhée, the Hong Kong International Conducting Workshops with Jorma Panula, Christoph Poppen, and Yip Wing-sie, and the Pierre Monteux School and Festival with Michael Jinbo. Taichi Fukumura is fluent in English and Japanese.
ABOUT FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Robert Spano is deeply committed to uniting its community through performance, education, and outreach, reaching an audience of more than 200,000 annually. Since its beginnings in 1912, the FWSO has been an essential thread in the city’s cultural fabric and the very foundation of Fort Worth’s performing arts. The FWSO has performed at Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras. The FWSO has released 13 recordings – with several being world premiere releases – garnering international acclaim. The FWSO has embraced creative collaborations through residencies, partnerships, and commissions. As the principal resident company of the acoustically superb Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, the orchestra performs a full season of concerts featuring internationally acclaimed guest artists and works by living composers. The orchestra performs and partners with the Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, The Cliburn, and Performing Arts Fort Worth. Each summer at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the FWSO presents Concerts In The Garden – a series of family-friendly concerts that have become a city-wide tradition. The FWSO keeps exceptional musical experiences at the heart of its community.
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