Nodoka Okisawa makes her US Debut! - Conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra and captivates audiences
OMF Principal Guest Conductor Nodoka Okisawa made her US debut on November 6th in Boston, Massachusetts, conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), the orchestra where Seiji Ozawa served as Music Director for 29 years.
The concert began with the late Toru Takemitsu's early masterpiece "Requiem for Strings”, followed by a performance of Dvořák's Violin Concerto with violinist Midori Goto, who has performed with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa on several occasions in the past. The concert concluded with a performance of Dvořák's Symphony No. 7.
Seira Ozawa, the Representative of the Saito Kinen Orchestra (SKO), attended the rehearsal and the performance on the 6th in person and reflected on them as follows:
Being in Boston, sitting at the Symphony Hall that I know so well as a child, on the first day of rehearsal, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Nodoka conducting right in the center of Symphony Hall stage, among BSO members with some friendly faces from Dad’s time.
I think my father was also 38 when he started with the BSO. I'm sure Nodoka was nervous, being her very first time to visit USA and to be making music with BSO. But she was being her humble lovely self, down-to-earth, honest and straightforward as always, and it was immediately clear to me that the orchestra was fond of her.
I had the pleasure of listening to the opening performance sitting next to the CEO of BSO, Mr. Chad Smith. Not only was the performance passionate with Midori, but as the Dvořák Seventh movement progressed, the sound gradually became more and more like Okisawa's. Looking up amidst the music, I could see the golden “Beethoven” engravings on the ceiling, the beautiful heavy decorations, characteristic of Symphony Hall. The gorgeous frame protecting the stage, just as I always saw them above my father as he conducted the BSO. This is the Symphony Hall, which has protected the music of my father and the BSO for 29 years.
Immediately after the performance, someone shouted "Bravo" from the audience, followed by enthusiastic standing ovations from the music-lover-locals of Boston. I was so moved, I felt my tears coming up.
Congratulations, Nodoka! My heart is absolutely filled with so much joy as if something magical and wonderful happened to myself!
Nodoka Okisawa's debut performance was widely covered in the local media and received high praise.
The Boston Globe reviews Okisawa's conducting as follows:
“Making her debut on the podium, Okisawa expertly corralled the BSO during fully orchestrated passages, ensuring that the ensemble’s combined power didn’t subsume Midori’s subtle gestures. After intermission, Okisawa led the orchestra in a lean and vivid account of Dvořák’s searching Symphony No. 7, unleashing the full dynamic spectrum that had been benched during the concerto. 40 minutes somehow felt like 10.” (For full article, see here)
The Boston Musical Intelligencer also commented, “Thursday’s BSO concert opened with Toru Takemitsu, a perfect vehicle to reveal the elegant conducting of guest conductor Nodoka Okisawa.” (Full review available here)
Okisawa performed with the BSO over three days, November 6th, 7th, and 8th, captivating an audience of approximately 1,900 people each day.
At the 2026 OMF, Okisawa will perform Olivier Messiaen's "Turangalīla Symphony" with the Saito Kinen Orchestra (SKO). This work is a monumental work of 20th-century music, having had its world premiere in 1949 with Leonard Bernstein conducting the BSO, and premiered in Japan in 1962 with Seiji Ozawa conducting the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Don’t miss out on Okisawa and SKO performances next year!
