Akira Endo

Director of Orchestral Studies

Email: endo@colorado.edu
Office Location: Room E271, Imig Music Building
Office Phone: 303-492-5510
Mailing Address: 301 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0301

Akira Endo, Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is an internationally acclaimed conductor. He has appeared as guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, the Utah Symphony, as well as orchestras of Europe and South America.

Until June of 1997, Maestro Endo served as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic in Canada. His past positions include that of Music Advisor and Principal Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony, and from 1980 to 1983, he was the Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra. From 1975 to 1982 he was Music Director of the Austin Symphony, serving concurrently as the Resident Conductor of the Houston Symphony for two seasons.

Born in Japan and educated in the United States, Maestro Endo’s first post as Music Director came in 1966 when he accepted that position with the Long Beach Symphony. During that time he was twice awarded third prize in the acclaimed Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition for Conductors at Carnegie Hall. This proved to be his springboard to prominence when the late Leonard Bernstein recommended Akira Endo to the conductor’s position at the American Ballet Theatre. He joined that company in March of 1969 and enjoyed a long and illustrious tenure with that organization. In 1970 and 1977 led the American Ballet Theatre on a much acclaimed tour of Europe, sponsored by the State Department. He remained with ABT for ten years, during which time he had the opportunity to conduct for almost all major dancers of that era around the world, including Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, and the Western debuts of both Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

His conducting has taken him to Central and South America, where he has appeared often as guest conductor in Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and in Europe, at the Tivoli Festival in Denmark, the Santander Festival in Spain, Athens Festival in Greece, in Italy at the Arena de Verona, the Nervis Festival in Genoa, and at the Edinburgh Festival with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In April and May of 1985, Maestro Endo led the 127 member National Orchestra of Venezuela, “Simon Bolivar,” on a month long tour of South America, conducting twenty-two concerts in Venezuela, Columbia, Equador, and Brazil.

In 1982 and 1983, Akira Endo twice won first place in the Award for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music presented by ASCAP (American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers) for his work with the Louisville Orchestra. He has recorded extensively with that orchestra during his tenure, including compositions by David Amram, Paul Chihara, Duke Ellington, Alberto Ginastera, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Karel Husa, Toshiro Mayuzumi and others. In addition, his recording of 20th century Double-Reed music for Crystal Records with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic earned him a Grammy nomination and was chosen as one of “the Ten Best Recordings of the Year” in 1971 by Irving Kolodin and the Saturday Review.

Maestro Endo’s background as a conductor/educator, along with his ability to work with young musicians, has kept him in demand as guest professor at such institutions as Stanford University, Rice University, California State University at Long Beach, and University of Oklahoma. Most recently, for two years he served as Professor of Music in charge of Orchestral Activities and as Chairman of the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami School of Music. For the 2000-2001 academic year, he was appointed as Visiting Professor of Music at Duquesne University School of Music in Pittsburgh.

Furthermore, he has appeared as guest conductor for the Colorado, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, and Indiana All-State High School Honor Orchestras. Every year his itinerary includes appearances at musical events which encourage outstanding young musicians.

Akira Endo currently serves as the Conductor of the Colorado Ballet.