Kobayashi, Ken-Ichiro

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Kobayashi, Ken-Ichiro

Kobayashi, Ken-Ichiro, Japanese conductor; b. Iwaki, April 13, 1940. He studied composition with Mareo Ishiketa and piano with Atsuko Ohhori, then took courses in composition and conducting at the Tokyo Univ. of Fine Arts and Music, where his principal mentors were Akeo Watanabe and Kazuo Yamada. In 1970 he became asst. conductor of the Tokyo Sym. Orch. After winning the Budapest conducting competition (1974), he appeared widely in Europe as well as in his homeland, and was a conductor with the Amsterdam Phil, (from 1976). He was chief conductor of the Kyoto Sym. Orch. (1985–90), and principal conductor of the Hungarian State Orch. in Budapest (1987–97).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire