Guest Author: Eiki Isomura

Japanese-American conductor Eiki Isomura is in his second season as artistic director and principal conductor of Opera in the Heights (OH), where he has led over seventy performances of over fifteen operas, drawing consistent praise for elevating the company's performance standard. "The orchestra has never sounded so focused," wrote the Houston Press, "Down the line, this is ensemble playing of fine caliber... The OH chorus is ultra-fine, too, smooth and lustrous... Maestro Isomura deserves our thanks." In recent years he has served on the music staff of Opera in the Ozarks as conductor and pianist, as well as HGOco, preparing the premieres of numerous chamber operas for Houston Grand Opera. Prior to his appointment as artistic director at OH, Eiki served as director of orchestral activities at Lone Star College-Montgomery. Eiki holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Kenneth Kiesler, who also mentored him as a conducting fellow at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa to work with the NAC Orchestra. Eiki's conducting teachers also include Thomas Cockrell, Colin Metters, Gustav Meier, and Mark Gibson. He resides in Houston with his wife and most trusted collaborator, mezzo-soprano, Monica Isomura, and their 1 year-old, Edison. www.eikiisomura.com