Keitaro Harada Makes European Opera Conducting Debut Next Month Leading Carmen for Sophia Opera in Bulgaria

On November 3, Japanese conductor Keitaro Harada makes his European opera debut with Sophia Opera in Bulgaria. He takes the podium to lead Bizet's Carmen in a production that will also tour Japan in 2018. This turn follows a flurry of activity including summer performances with Kanagawa Philharmonic in Japan, Charlotte Symphony, Music in the Mountains Festival, and Cincinnati Opera in the USA, a debut with Louisiana Philharmonic next week, and his September nuptials to fashion designer and tennis professional Yuri Kurashima in Tokyo.

Beginning his third season as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops, Harada regularly assists Music Director Louis Langrée and conducts the CSO and POPS. In this capacity, he assisted James Conlon for the 2016 May Festival and Gerard McBurney along with other guest conductors for the 2017 May Festival. Keitaro also holds the post of Associate Conductor of the Arizona Opera.

With a growing schedule as a guest conductor, the past year held performances at the 2016 Pacific Music Festival by invitation of Valery Gergiev, debuts with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan and with Boise Philharmonic, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and South Bend Symphony Orchestra.

Photo by Ben Friedman