Viotti Extends Contract in Tokyo
Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti, who will become general music director of the Zurich Opera House in August 2028, has extended his contract as music director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra through 2034.
Lorenzo Viotti has been the music director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra since 2024. He travels to Japan up to four times per season and spends a total of up to eight weeks conducting the orchestra. The ensemble was founded in 1946 as the Toho Symphony Orchestra and adopted its current name in 1951. It presents subscription concerts at Suntory Hall, Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, and has been awarded nearly every major music prize in Japan.
Born in Lausanne into a Franco-Italian family of musicians, Viotti—according to the Zurich Opera House—first studied piano, voice, and percussion in Lyon before continuing his conducting studies in Vienna and Weimar. He gained international recognition by winning several major competitions, including the Nestlé Young Conductors Award at the Salzburg Festival, the MDR Symphony Orchestra Conducting Competition, and the Cadaqués International Conducting Competition.
