Otaka, Tadaaki

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Otaka, Tadaaki

Otaka, Tadaaki, Japanese conductor; b. Kamakura, Nov. 8, 1947. He received training at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. In 1970 he joined the faculty of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. From 1974 to 1981 he was principal conductor of the Tokyo Phil., and then of the Sapporo Sym. Orch. from 1981 to 1986. In 1987 he became principal conductor of the BBC Welsh Sym. Orch. in Cardiff, which position he retained when it was renamed the BBC National Orch. of Wales in 1993. In 1991 he became principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Sym. Orch. in Tokyo, leaving his Cardiff post in 1995. From 1998 he was principal conductor of the Sapporo Sym. Orch. and director of the Britten-Pears Orch. As a guest conductor, he appeared with various orchs. in Japan and abroad.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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