Keitaro Harada

Keitaro Harada (Japanese: 原田慶太楼, born February 26, 1985) is a Japanese conductor and music and artistic director of Savannah Philharmonic.[1] Harada is a former Associate Conductor of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra[2] Arizona Opera, Richmond Symphony Orchestra[3] and Principal Guest Conductor of Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra. He has been Music Director & Conductor of the Phoenix Youth Symphony, Assistant Conductor of Macon Symphony Orchestra. In 2013, he was featured in the Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview by the League of American Orchestras.[4] In 2023, he received The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award from the Solti Foundation U.S.[5]

Biography
Keitaro Harada, Conductor

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Keitaro Harada first studied music at St. Mary's International School. At age 17, Harada attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and Arts Camp where he had his first public performance as a conductor, sharing the podium with Frederick Fennell. During his senior year at Interlochen, Harada performed on National Public Radio program From The Top, with pianist Christopher O'Riley.[6] Harada's recording along with his interviews can be found on High School Music Textbook Music! Its Role and Importance in Our Lives, Chapter 7: Making Musical Decisions, published by Glencoe McGraw-Hill.

Harada began undergraduate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as a saxophone student of Debra Richtmeyer and double majoring in Music History. As a conductor, he was the Music Director of the Broadway Musical Production of Cabaret at the University.[7]

In the summers of 2004–2005, Harada attended Conducting Workshops in St. Petersburg, Russia where he studied with Sian Edwards, Adrian Gnam and Leonid Korchmar. After working with Adrian Gnam, Harada was appointed as Apprentice Conductor of Macon Symphony Orchestra in 2005. His title later changed to Assistant Conductor and he also became the Conductor of Mercer/Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra. Harada enrolled at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia to complete his Bachelor of Music Degree in Saxophone and Master of Music Degree in Conducting.

Upon completion of his Master of Music in May 2008, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, to study with Thomas Cockrell as an inaugural recipient of the Rogers Institute for Orchestral and Opera Conducting Fellowship at University of Arizona. The fellowship included conducting the University ensembles and working with Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Arizona Opera.[8] In addition, Harada was conductor for the Arizona Repertory Theatre where he led Into The Woods and The Music Man.

In the summer of 2009, Harada was invited to the inaugural season of the Castleton Festival where he studied four Benjamin Britten operas at Lorin Maazel's estate. The following summer, James Levine and the members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra invited Harada as Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. Harada assisted Christoph von Dohnányi in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos[9] and conducted the closing performance.[10]

In May 2010, Harada was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Phoenix Youth Symphony.[11] In June, as one of the ten featured guest for From The Top's 10th Anniversary, Harada was invited back to the show to perform again with Christopher O'Riley.[12]

Harada completed his fellowship from the University of Arizona in December 2010 but has continued his work with the Arizona Opera as their Assistant Conductor. He is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra in Arizona.[13] He is the conductor of the Phoenix Youth Symphony and guest conducts at various places around the United States.

Harada made his operatic debut in May 2011 with the North Carolina Opera in a production of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw.[14] In 2011, Harada attended Pacific Music Festival as a student in the Conducting Academy where he studied with Fabio Luisi.

Harada is married to Yuri Kurashima, fashion designer and professional tennis player.[15]

Awards and honors

Photographer

Harada is a professional photographer featured on monthly magazine BIGAKU in Japan.[21]

References
  1. Peacock, Joshua. "The baton passes: Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra names its second ever music and artistic director". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. "Keitaro Harada to join Cincinnati Symphony as associate conductor".
  3. "Richmond Symphony".
  4. League of American Orchestras (January 29, 2013). "2013 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview". League of American Orchestras. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  5. https://soltifoundation.us/the-solti-foundation-u-s-announces-the-fourteenth-recipient-of-the-sir-georg-solti-conducting-award/
  6. O'Riley, Christopher (November 5, 2003). "Show 091 Interlochen, Michigan". NPR From The Top. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  7. O'Riley, Christopher (July 26, 2010). "Keitaro Harada: From Saxophone to Podium". NPR From The Top. National Public Radio. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  8. Burch, Cathalena (June 5, 2009). "Great expectations". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  9. Malaronte, Judith (October 1, 2010). "Ariadne auf Naxos". Opera News. The Metropolitan Opera Guild. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  10. Newberger, Eli (August 7, 2010). "Ariadne auf Bali Ha'i in Tanglewood Fellows' Marvelous Strauss Pacific". The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  11. Burch, Cathalena (December 1, 2011). "Youth Orchestra from Phoenix may be the best you've heard". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  12. O'Riley, Christopher (July 26, 2010). "Keitaro Harada: From Saxophone to Podium". NPR From The Top. National Public Radio. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  13. Burch, Cathalena (October 22, 2010). "Music notes UA students take center stage in Sierra Vista Symphony opener". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  14. Dicks, Roy (May 13, 2011). "N.C. Opera's 'Turn of the Screw' is a winner". News Observer. North Carolina. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  15. Mallozzi, Vincent M. (September 23, 2017). "A Love Match, Orchestrated by the Moms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  16. Murray, Larry (July 1, 2010). "Tanglewood July 24–31: Mahler's Fourth, Brahms 2nd, Strauss". Berkshire On Stage. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  17. League of American Orchestras (January 29, 2013). "2013 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview". League of American Orchestras. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  18. "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  19. "The Solti Foundation U.S. Announces an unprecedented 10 awards to young American conductors".
  20. https://soltifoundation.us/the-solti-foundation-u-s-announces-the-fourteenth-recipient-of-the-sir-georg-solti-conducting-award/
  21. "月刊美楽 ～最新3ヶ月の記事～".
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