Kazushi Ono

Kazushi Ono (大野 和士, Ōno Kazushi?, born March 4, 1960) is a Japanese conductor, born in Tokyo. He studied at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and with Wolfgang Sawallisch and Giuseppe Patanè at the Bavarian State Opera (Bayerische Staatsoper), as a scholar of the Japanese Ministry of Culture. In 1987 he won First Prize in the 3rd Toscanini International Conductors' Competition. He has conducted many international orchestras and operas.

Ono was principal conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1992 to 1999 (and is now Conductor Laureate there), and its artistic advisor from 1999 to 2001. During his tenure there, he conducted an 'Opera Concertante Series' of semi-staged performances, including Antonio Salieri's Prima la musica, poi le parole, Zemlinsky's Eine florentinische Tragödie, Norma, The Fiery Angel, Adriana Lecouvreur, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Turandot, Paul Hindemith's Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen, Sancta Susanna, Das Nusch-Nuschi, Nabucco, Peter Grimes, Don Carlo, Un ballo in maschera, Janacek's Jenůfa, Franz Schreker's Der ferne Klang and Richard Strauss's Die schweigsame Frau and Salome. He also commissioned Mark Anthony Turnage's Silent Cities, and gave the Japanese premieres of Hans Werner Henze's 8th and 9th Symphonies. He was also Chief Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra from 1990 to 1996.

Ono was General Music Director of the Baden State Opera, Karlsruhe from 1996 to 2002. In August 2002 he became music director of La Monnaie (Brussels), after his acclaimed debut there in March 2001, conducting Salvatore Sciarrino's chamber opera Luci mie traditrici. He successfully directed the same production at the New York Lincoln Center in July of that year. Other contemporary operas that Ono has conducted at La Monnaie include Philippe Boesmans' Julie. He stepped down as music director at La Monnaie at the end of the 2007-2008 season and became principal conductor of the Opéra National de Lyon at the start of the 2008-2009 season, with an initial contract of 5 years. In February 2009 he made his debut at the Teatro Comunale Florence by conducting the premiere of the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 by Lorenzo Ferrero.

Ono is the recipient of the 2009 Suntory Music Award.