Marco Borggreve.jpg)
photo @Marco BorggreveSince founding Bach Collegium Japan in 1990, Masaaki Suzuki has established himself as a leading authority on the works of Bach. He has remained their Music Director ever since, taking them regularly to major venues and festivals in Europe and the USA and building up an outstanding reputation for the expressive refinement and truth of his performances.
In addition to working with renowned period ensembles, such as Collegium Vocale Gent and Philharmonia Baroque, he is invited to conduct modern instrument orchestras in repertoire as diverse as Britten, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Stravinsky.
Last season saw his debut appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, while engagements for 2011/2012 include performances of Mozart Mass in C minor with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin and the Melbourne Symphony, engagements with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and a return visit to the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.
Suzukifs impressive discography on the BIS label, featuring Bachfs complete works for harpsichord and his interpretations of Bachfs major choral works and sacred cantatas with Bach Collegium Japan (of which he has already completed nearly fifty volumes of a project to record the complete series) have brought him many critical plaudits ? the Times has written: git would take an iron bar not to be moved by his crispness, sobriety and spiritual vigourh. In 2010, Suzuki and his ensemble were awarded both a German Record Criticsf Award (Preis der Deutschen
Schallplattenkritik) and a Diapason dfOr de lfAnnee for their recording of Bach motets, which has also been honoured in 2011 with a BBC Music Magazine Award.@
Highlights of last season with Bach Collegium Japan featured 20th anniversary concerts in Tokyo, a visit to the Hong Kong Arts Festival and a tour of the USA including@an appearance at Carnegie Hall. In 2012 the ensemble embarks on a major European tour as well as other festival appearances.@
Masaaki Suzuki combines his conducting career with his work as organist and harpsichordist.
Born in Kobe, he graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music with a degree@in composition and organ performance and went on
to study harpsichord and organ at the@Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam under Ton Koopman and Piet Kee.
Founder and head of the early music department at the Tokyo University of the Arts, he is currently Visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at the Yale School of Music
and Yale Institute of Sacred Music and the conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum.
In April 2001, Suzuki was decorated with eDas Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublikffrom Germany.@
