conductor

Heiichiro Ohyama has a long-established reputation as a remarkable conductor and as one of America's most accomplished violists. He holds the position of Principal Chief Conductor of Kyushu Symphony Orchestra in Fukuoka, Japan and Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Professor of Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Born in Kyoto, Japan, Mr. Ohyama studied violin and chamber music at the Toho Music High School and College under Toshiya Eto and Hideo Saito. He graduated with distinction from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1970 studying under Yfrab Neaman, William Pleeth and Thurston Dart. He then entered Indiana University where he studied with Josef Gingold, Ruggiero Ricci, Janos Starker, Franco Gulli and William Primrose and later taught an a Visiting Lecturer. As a student, he won the BBC Beethoven Competition, British Council Music Scholarship, Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, and Young Concert Artist Award of New York, as well as both the violin and viola competitions at Indiana University.

After being a participant of the Marlboro Music Festival for several summers, he became increasingly in demand as violist and has performed throughout the United States and abroad as a recitalist. He has also participated as a chamber musician at many festivals including Casals Festival, Kuhumo International Music Festival (Finland), Johannesen International Music Festival (Canada), Okinawa Moon Beach Music Festival (Japan), Brescia and Bergamo Festival (Italy), Chamber Music Northwest, Sarasota Music Festival and Caramor Chamber Music Festival, He has collaborated with many great musicians including: Emanuel Ax, Myung-Whun Chung, Lynn Harrell, Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Gidon Kremer, Jaime Laredo, Radu Lupu, Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Previn, Takahiro Sonoda, Isaac Stern, Kyoko Takezawa, Pinchas Zukerman.

In 1979 he was named Principal Violist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Carlo Maria Giulini, a position he held for 13 years. In 1981, he began conducting the Youth String Orchestra of the Crossroads School for Sciences and Arts. In 1983 he was appointed the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra.

In 1986, Mr. Ohyama was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under André Previn. He held this position for nearly four years and conducted the Philharmonic, including subscription concerts, at the Los Angeles Music Center, the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute.

His experience also includes being the Principal Conductor of the Round Top Music Festival in Texas for 12 years beginning in 1982, the Music Director and Conductor of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra in Seattle from 1985-87, Music Director and Conductor of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in New York from 1993-98, Artistic Director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival from 1991-97, Artistic Director of the La Jolla Chamber Music Society's Summer Fest La Jolla from 1986-97 and Music Director and Conductor of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles from 1990-2000.

In 1990, Mr. Ohyama made his European conducting debut with the Orchestra of the Opera de Lyon and in two concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Since then, he has made conducting appearances with the San Diego Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Hale Symphony Orchestra (England), Sapporo Symphony, Kyoto Symphony and Toho Music School Orchestra (Japan), New York Chamber Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Royal Academy Sinfonietta (England), as well as conducted the San Francisco Symphony for its Wet Ink Festival. He also took the Asia America Symphony Orchestra on a tour of Japan in 1992.

Mr. Ohyama has been heard frequently on radio and television and has recorded on the CBS, Evica, Nonesuch, Philips, RCA, and Stereophiles labels.