The Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra was established as the Kansai Symphony Orchestra in 1947. The name was changed to the current one in 1960. ASAHINA Takashi was the Regular Conductor and Music Director since 1947, the year the Orchestra was founded until 2001. From 2003 to 2011, OUE Eiji succeeded as Music Director, while INOUE Michiyoshi became the Principal Conductor from 2014 to 2016. Since 2017, OTAKA Tadaaki has been the Music Director since 2018. As for our performances, concerts are held at the Festival Hall 10 programs a year, two times for each subscription concert. The ʻMatinee Symphonyʼ and ʻSoiree Symphonyʼ series are usually held on weekday afternoons and weekday nights at the Symphony Hall. Also, the music event known as the ʻOsaka Classicʼ is held mostly around the Midosuji and Nakanoshima areas in Osaka. The orchestra is not only contributing to cultural promotions in Osaka, but in various other areas in Japan. OPO has toured extensively in Europe, Canada, America, Korea and Taiwan, and has gained quite a high reputation after every concert. In addition, many recordings of the orchestra’s performances have been released. Notable recordings include “D.Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4”, “D. Shostakovich: Symphony No.7”, and “D. Shostakovich: Symphony No.11” by INOUE Michiyoshi.” “G. Mahler: Symphony No.9” by OTAKA Tadaaki is newly released in 2019.
The Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra was awarded the 72nd Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Excellence Award.
