Born In Tokyo in 1958,Junichi Hlrokami scudled at the Tokyo College of Music and, on graduaclng in 1983, was immediacely appo[nted Assiscanc Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra for the 1983/84 season. His incernacional career was launched in September 1984 when he won the first Kondrashin International Conducting Comperition, awarded by a jury of distinguished musicians includin Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Ashkenazy who was so impressed that he chose Hirokami as his conductor for a concert cour ofJapan with che NHK SymphonY in May l 985 and, subsequenrly, for a concert with the Orchesrre National de France in Paris the following year.
These events were, however, the exception and, for the ensuing five years, Hirokami concencrated on gaining experience and expanding his repertoire, conducting the lesser-known orchestras and attending the rehearsals of many internationally renowned conductors; his mosc treasured experience of this period was gained durlng a cour of the Concertgebouw Orc~hestra uncler Leonarcl Bernstein who, being unwell, requested Hirokami's assistance ac rehearsal and he[d him in reserve for che concerts,
Since 1990 Junichi Hirokami has enjoyed an international career working with some of the world's leading orchestras including more than 50 perfrmances with the Israel Philharmonic, and concerrs with the Concertgebouw, Vienna Symphony and Berlin Radio Symphony amongsc many others. In the UK he has conducced che London Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. BBC Scottish Symphony and National Youth orcbestras, as well as the Royal Philharmornic Orchestra with which he will concinue to appear in the coming years. He made his opera debut with Australian Opera, Sydney, in 1989 and was immediately re-invited for productions in 1990 and 1992. He returns to Japan on a regular basis, working wich all the major Japanese orchestras including the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of which he became Principal Conductor in 1991 . From 1988 until last year he was Guest Conductor and, Iatterly, Chief Conductor of the Norrkoeping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden with which he made a major tour of Japan, as well as a number of recordings on the Swedish label, BIS.
Future plans include a series of recordings for Denon with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (for which they have already recorded Mahler's Firsc Symphony together in 1994) and, during 1996, he launches his career in North America conducting the leading orchestras of Cinclnnati, Dallas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee. Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Montreal.
