Hirokami Junichi

Music Director – Malaysia Philharmonic Orchesrea
Artistic Leader – Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa
Born in Tokyo, Junichi Hirokami studied piano, composition and music under Atsutada Otaka.  Then studied conducting and graduated at Tokyo College of Music.  Winner at the first Kondrashin International Competition in Amsterdam at the age of 26 in 1984.  Since then, Hirokami has been appearing as guest conductor with major orchestras throughout the world.  Apart from guest appearance he had served as Chief Conductor of Sweden’s Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of Limburg Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Music Director of Columbus Symphony Orchestra.  In recent years, he has been invited by the orchestras include Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.  From 2008 to 2022 Hirokami has achieved a golden era as Chief Conductor as well as Music and Artistic Advisor of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra for 14 years.  In 2015 he received 46th prestigious Suntory Music Award with Kyoto Symphony Orchestra together.
Currently he serves as Artistic Leader at Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Friend of JPO / Artistic Advisor at Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and Friendship Conductor at Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and Junichi Hirokami at Kyoto Symphony Orchestra.  From 2025, He will start the tenure of Music Director at Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra.  He serves as professor of conducting division at Tokyo College of Music.