Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (TMSO) is pleased to announce its titled conductors from the 2026/2027 season.

Pekka Kuusisto joins the TMSO roster as Chief Conductor, and Daniele Rustioni as Principal Guest Conductor. Kazushi Ono, Alan Gilbert, Kazuhiro Koizumi and Eliahu Inbal continue to collaborate with the orchestra.

◆Kazushi Ono, current Music Director (appointed in April 2015), concludes his tenure in March 2026. From April 2026 he will serve as Artistic Advisor for two years, and then take up the role of Conductor Laureate.

◆Pekka Kuusisto becomes Chief Conductor from April 2028, serving an initial three-year term. Before this, he will collaborate with TMSO as Artist in Residence from April 2026 for two years, both as conductor and violinist.

◆Alan Gilbert, current Principal Guest Conductor (appointed in April 2018), serves as Permanent Guest Conductor / Music Partner from April 2026, continuing his collaboration with no fixed term.
NB Alan Gilbert will be on sabbatical during the 2026/2027 season and will not appear in TMSO concerts during this period.

◆Daniele Rustioni joins the TMSO roster as Principal Guest Conductor from April 2026, with an initial three-year tenure.

◆Kazuhiro Koizumi continues as Honorary Conductor for Life (appointed in April 2014) and Eliahu Inbal remains as Conductor Laureate (appointed in April 2014).

NB TMSO’s season follows the Japanese fiscal year, April to March.

Comments from Tetsuki KUNISHIO, Director of Artistic Planning of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

©T.Tairadate

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

We are delighted to announce our titled conductors from the 2026/2027 season.

Kazushi Ono has led TMSO as Music Director for eleven seasons since April 2015. Beginning with the European tour that year, he has directed many successful projects. Above all, we are deeply grateful for his leadership during the difficult COVID-19 pandemic. Kazushi will continue to represent TMSO as Artistic Advisor from April 2026, for two seasons, and will then serve as Conductor Laureate from April 2028.

We are extremely pleased to announce Pekka Kuusisto as our next Chief Conductor from April 2028. He is an exceptional musician, brimming with creativity, and able to captivate with his authentic, lively performances. I will never forget the joy and surprise I felt when he conducted TMSO for the first time in April 2024. Before taking up this role, he will collaborate with TMSO as Artist in Residence from April 2026, both as conductor and violinist.

During his eight seasons as Principal Guest Conductor, Alan Gilbert has delivered numerous world-class performances, enhancing TMSO’s reputation and presence. From April 2026, he continues with us as Permanent Guest Conductor / Music Partner, for an indefinite term.

We also warmly welcome Daniele Rustioni as Principal Guest Conductor from April 2026. He has built a close relationship with the TMSO in a short time, in both opera and symphonic concerts. His energetic conducting and expressive performances are sure to be popular, and we look forward to working with him on a wide range of repertoire, including vocal music.

Pekka and Daniele inherit TMSO’s rich sound and precise ensemble while also bringing fresh ideas and a new flavour to the orchestra.

As we welcome this new conducting team, we look forward to a new era of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

September 2025
Tetsuki Kunishio
Director of Artistic Planning, TMSO

Messages

I am pleased to announce that Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra is entering a new era in the 2026 season. For the eleven years since my appointment as Music Director in 2015, it has been my utmost joy to share so many outstanding programmes with our audiences. We’ve performed works by Mahler and R. Strauss, for instance, both of which are among the strengths of TMSO; works that proved crucial to increasing the breadth and depth of TMSO’s repertoire. We gave world premieres, as well as Japanese premieres of works by composers including B. A. Zimmermann and Toshio Hosokawa, to name just a few. Although the orchestra also faced challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel strongly that the sound created by TMSO is increasingly mature and rich today, thanks to your warm unfailing support in the face of adversity.

I cordially ask for your ongoing support as TMSO looks to the future in the year of its milestone 60th anniversary.

Kazushi Ono

　
　

I have been an admirer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra from our first rehearsal together. It is a gift to now become a member of this great musical family.
I feel a joyous responsibility for understanding the musical pulse of Tokyo, and how it resonates within Japanese cultural life. As a Finn, I believe we share certain ideals of shape, movement and concentration, and I am looking forward to exploring them with my friends and colleagues in the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

Pekka Kuusisto

　
　

Over the years I have had some of my most memorable musical experiences with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. I feel a deep musical connection with the musicians, and value our friendship. It is an honor to be asked to continue this partnership in a new way, and I am thrilled to take on this new role. I look forward to sharing music with the orchestra and my beloved audience in Japan long into the future. Thank you.

Alan Gilbert

　
　

My first encounter with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra 11 years ago was a passionate one with Puccini’s music, followed by the first of our symphonic programs featuring Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique.” The energy, special sound, dedication, and love of the TMSO musicians in rehearsals and concerts have always been extraordinary and contagious, and I am delighted to join the artistic family of this great orchestra as Principal Guest Conductor. We have wonderful programs ahead of us to experience and share with the audience.

Daniele Rustioni