Introduction
Birth on 28th. May, 1960. Fukuoka-City, Japan
In response to the influence of a music lover's mother, the early education was received from 5 years old at the YAMAHA music studio (Talent Educational System for Children). Although electronic organ "Electone" rendition and playing (popular music & pop) was studied during his high school enrollment after that, the listening ability and the sense of pitch required as a musician, the harmony theory, the sharp rhythmic feeling of the free way thinking, etc. would be attached to nature and the body in the meantime, and it would be absorbed in playing soccer(football) after a junior high school, and physical strength, reflexes, etc. for becoming behind with a conductor would be obtained. Since it became to be a vocalist from 17 years old at classic music at a turn, and the time of 21 years old, after aspiring after a conductor during study in Vienna, it came out as a professional conductor at the age of 35 after 8th conductor's competition of Hungarian National Television 1995. Now under activity, establishing in Tokyo, Szolnok (Hungary), he is going and coming back to both countries and spreading the place for conducting to Europe and the other countries.
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Profile
The conductor, who won the victory at the international conductor's competition organized by Hungarian National Television “In Memorial of JánosFerencsík” in May 1995, performs remarkable activity over since the spotlight was captured suddenly, and just attracts attention now.
In domestic Japan, after the sensational debut at the new year concert of the "Tokyo City Philharmonic" in January 1996, he was invited by such as several orchestras; Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Kyushu Symph. Orchestra, Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra and etc., many guest performance commands are carried over one after another. "Power and energy were fully held, and high interpretation which arranged the fine places surely for music making" (<Ongaku Geijyutsu>"Music Art" magazine), "A performance with the condensation power against which a well-modulated express was effective with the clear intension" (<Ongaku-Butou Shinbun>"Music and Ballet newspaper") such high evaluations were given to his performances on several magazines and papers.
Especially in Europe, with setting the position established in Hungary, a lot of guest invitations of conducting were carried out at the most main orchestras of Hungary, such as Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra (= Hungarian national Philharmonic Orchestra, now on this name), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hungarian National Opera Orchestra, MÁV Symphony Orchestra, Duna Symphony Orchestra and etc., high evaluations were recieved; "the conductor with the soul of east Europe"(<Magyar Hírlap> newspaper), "brilliant harmony with sharp dynamism and a musical piece interpretation"(<Napi Magyarország ne.wspaper),etc.
Moreover -- it should mention especially -- he was invited to Budapest Operetta theater by Miklós Szinetár, the director of this theater at that time, who recognized his extolled skill at the conductor's competition, Izaki conducted Lehár's "The Merry Widow" and decorated a sensational debut performance not only for this theater but also for the whole country through broadcasting the live performance by National Television. After that, accompanied with this theater as one of the conductors at the time of the first Japan tour in January 1996, he draw a big success in his home land. This performance was selected for one of the best top10 concerts in Japan ' 96 by "Ongaku-no-Tomo"magazine(the special edition "concert top-ten ' 96" and continuation also for the next "concert top-ten ' 97) and was continued on invitation for Japan tour in June ' 97 and in January ' 98 with the program of "The Queen of Czárdás by Kálman and "The Merry Widow" (this performance was recorded for live CD by BMG Japan MLOP-1001~2). These were also exposed to extolment from each papers and has obtained the criticism of "the talent and feeling which carried out the Japanese detached building" ("Yomiuri-shinbun", newspaper)
In addition, "Hungarian Stars Operetta Theater", constituted by the main member of Budapest Operetta Theater and Hungarian National Opera house, it directed him as the conductor for the second German tour in November 1997 and was exposed to extolment in each cities in Germany, including the CD recording for "Queen of the circus" by Kálman (MHK 1990-01-28) and "Gypsy love" by Lehár (MHK 1997-02-15) produced by Künstlerhaus GmbH. Budapest. By the first overseas public performance of Japan Opertta Association in November 1998, as the music supervisor and the conductor, Lehár's "A Land of Smile" public performance at Budapest Operetta Theater was led to the great success and the big echo was called. Also serving the conductor at the final stage of "International Opera Competition in Shizuoka" in November 1999 & 2002, and the conductor for concert accompany of worldwide famous tenor "Fransico Araiza" and having taken the big lead in subjects.
Until now, he became one of the most famous Japanese conductor and most of his performances were broadcasted by national television and radio. From September 1998 he worked as the art director and leading conductor of SAVARIA Symphony Orchestra, Szombathely-city at the west of Hungary, and raised the artistic standard of this orchestra until August 2001 with releasing CD "Zenei ajánlás(Musical offering)" produced by BCC company Budapest(BCC34). Capella Savaria, the chamber orchestra with historical period instrument and regularly play without conductor, invited him as the guest conductor and had the concert tour for Switzerlamd in April 1999. Moreover, importantly in addition, Hungarian national Opera house invited him as the guest conductor and he made a debut performance with "La Bohème" by G. Puccini in Octorber at the season in 1999/2000, and this success made him immediately to invite the next performance of "La Traviata" in March at the season in 2000/2001 with including the special performance at Budapest Spring Festival 2001. It is necessary that he is at the music scenes in Hungary, and he was commanded to conduct the "New Year Concert 2000" at Erkel Theater in Budapest as the first foreign conductor of this historical Hungarian concert on the 1st January and was called the highest evacuation "the best performance of all the "New Year Concert" in its history. The great attention and expectation for his activities more than the former in the same country are also increasing succeed from now on.
The conducting method was studied under following person; the late Prof. Takeichiro YASUNAGA(the father of Toru Yasunaga, the concertmaster of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) with graduating at Music department of Fukuoka Educational University, the late Prof. Masahisa ENDO, Prof. Eiichi ITO at graduate school master course of Tokyo Gakugei University, the late Prof. Karl ÖSTERREICHER, Prof. Günther THEURING and Prof. Yuji YUASA with studying orchestra and chorus conducting, composition at Vienna music Academy (Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Wien) as a scholoarship student sent by Ministry of Education, Japan.
Now he is the artist belongs to Concert Imagin Ltd. (for Japan), member of Japan Conductor's Association and "Tokyo Shiki Kenkyu-kai (Tokyo Conducting Study Group)"
In April, 2007, he assumed the position of Szolnok city general music director by the request of the Szolnok city (located to 100km east from Budapest) and mayor Szalay, with working to summarize the activity and the facilities operation of a music cultural group such as a symphony orchestra, a chorus, a dance company, a theater, and a cultural center, etc. that belong to the same city. The fact was not only the post installed for the first time among same cities but also the post existence by selecting the exception for the standpoint in which other foreigners and Hungarian either in a rare example. So it calls the big topic in Hungary, giving birth to the phenomenon such as selling after the Szolnok symphony orchestra regular concert ticket at 2007/8 seasons put it on the market all in only ten days, and the expectation and the topic to the activity came to attract the taking attention very greatly.
He was as one of the conductors who co-star with a lot of famous singers and actors from the whole country at the Silvester concert (at the Szigrigeti theater) opened on the New Year's Eve on December 31 of the same year and obtained honor that took a performance of a Hungarian national anthem when turning by 0 o'clock of midnight. It was live-broadcasting as delivered to Hungarian whole land and many countries in Europe, Australia, and the United States, etc. by Hungarian Duna television. So it gave new birth to a big echo, and the exception was broadcast again later.
The chance that media also take him up has increased, the relay recording of the Szolnok Symphony Orchestra regular concert and his individual portrait program started on Szolnok TV, too. Moreover, the feature article was united in Hungarian orchestral information magazin "Zenekar, and this orchestra that developed in the leer was taken up a lot, even it was gathered that a lot of other orchestras were reducing the scale by a financial difficulty in the article with "Why is it Szolnok now?", and gathered in the echo.
In addition, the concert tour performance in Japan was successfully planned and ended at the end of November 2009. It was the visit as the official Hungarian orchestra for the Hungarian Festival 2009 of a diplomatic relation trade conclusion of Hungary and Japan after 140 years, and on just 50 years from the diplomatic relation revival after the 2nd world war. It scheduled performing in 6 places in Japan with more than 150 members from Szolnok City Symphony Orchestra, Szolnok Bartok chamber choir and Kodaly Festival choir including a world famous soprano singer ’’Andrea Rost’’ and the other solsts from Hungarian National Opera house, with the join of Hungarian Festival Choir Tokyo. This tour had big popular, and located as a concert in Japan that had to make a special mention.
After observing these orchestral activities, the Szolnok City Symphony Orchestra was recognized for the First Categorie Class Orchestra from the Association oh Hungarian Orchestra (organized the Hungarian Cultural Ministery) in 2009.
http://www.aho.hu/hirek (Homepage of the Association of Hungarian Orchestra)
The activities such in Hungary were admitted, his name was featured in “the world respected Japanese ~ 100 Genius and unusual talented people with different ability to shine in foreign country exceeding cultural barrier” by the world famous magazine “News Week”(Japanese version) published in July, 2009.
As the recent activities, Izaki had a dubut in Moscow, Russia, with conducting the Russian National Orchestra “VIVA! Cello Festival” in October 2012, and also had conducted “Berlin Symphonic Orchestra (Berliner Symphoniker)” in Philharmony Hall in Berlin on the circle concert of the Hall “Messiah by Händel”.
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