Akiko Fujimoto

{{Short description|Conductor}} {{Distinguish|Akio Fujimoto}} {{Infobox person/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL|dateformat=dmy}} '''Akiko Fujimoto''' is a Japanese-born American conductor. Since 2019 she has been the music director of the Mid-Texas Symphony, and in 2026 she was appointed as the music director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas.<ref>[https://www.sonamusic.org/blog/sona-announces-new-music-director SoNA Names Akiko Fujimoto as New Music Director]. Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, 29 May 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-29.</ref> She has held positions as associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony, conducting associate for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and cover conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and has appeared as a guest conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, Corpus Christi Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, and Vermont Symphony Orchestra.<ref>[https://akikofujimoto.com/bio/ Akikio Fujimoto, conductor]. Bio. Retrieved 2021-12-01.</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Woolfe|first=Zachary|date=2021-06-04|title=Want More Diverse Conductors? Orchestras Should Look to Assistants.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/arts/music/orchestras-diversity.html|access-date=2021-11-05|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Gazette|first=Dalondo Moultrie The Seguin|title=Symphony waves in new music director|url=http://seguingazette.com/alert/article_f920c22a-7db3-11e9-8972-1fc9a8c8677a.html|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Seguin Gazette|date=24 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Writer|first=Jim Lowe Staff|title=Akiko Fujimoto tries VSO reins: First of 7 music director candidates|url=https://www.rutlandherald.com/features/vermont_arts/akiko-fujimoto-tries-vso-reins-first-of-7-music-director-candidates/article_64cb2b70-6bc3-529a-a14a-7b661484ecc8.html|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Rutland Herald|date=23 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Fujimoto became the first woman to hold a full-time conducting position on the artistic staff of the San Antonio Symphony when she was hired as its assistant conductor in 2011.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2014-12-13|title=Fujimoto Blazes a Symphonic Trail in San Antonio|url=https://reportingtexas.com/fujimoto-blazes-a-symphonic-trail-in-san-antonio/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Reporting Texas}}</ref> In 2017, she became the second woman to conduct the Minnesota Orchestra.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=2017-05-18|title=Comings and goings at the Ordway, Minnesota Orchestra, ACC and Mia|url=https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2017/05/comings-and-goings-ordway-minnesota-orchestra-acc-and-mia/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=MinnPost|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2019, Fujimoto became the first woman conductor for the Mid-Texas Symphony.<ref name=":1" />

== Personal life == Fujimoto was born in Japan.<ref name=":1" /> When she was 14, she moved with her parents to the United States because her father was relocated by the company he worked for.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Terry Blain Special to the Star|title=Coronavirus took her big moment, but conductor says Minnesota Orchestra will 'come roaring back'|url=https://www.startribune.com/coronavirus-took-her-big-moment-but-conductor-says-minnesota-orchestra-will-come-roaring-back/570010632/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Star Tribune |date=29 April 2020 }}</ref>

== Education == Fujimoto earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology and Music at Stanford University.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> She later went on to earn her Master's degrees in choral and orchestral conducting from Eastman School of Music in 1999 and Boston University in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Some Eastman Conducting Graduates and Where They Are Now|url=https://www.esm.rochester.edu/ensembles/graduates/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Conducting & Ensembles|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

== Career == Fujimoto worked under JoAnn Falletta when Falletta was the music director for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.<ref name=":5" />

From 2012 to 2017, Fujimoto was the associate conductor of the San Antonio Symphony and its first woman conductor.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" />

She worked for the Minnesota Orchestra as an associate conductor from 2017 to 2020.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-16|title=Minnesota Orchestra to resume playing Aug. 3; 'Art Connects Us' billboards offer hope and thanks|url=https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2020/04/minnesota-orchestra-to-resume-playing-aug-3-art-connects-us-billboards-offer-hope-and-thanks/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=MinnPost|language=en-US}}</ref>

On September 15, 2019, Fujimoto had her first public concert with the Mid-Texas Symphony at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin as a guest conductor.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-06-26|title=Akiko Fujimoto Is Back In South Texas... Kind Of|url=https://www.tpr.org/arts-culture/2019-06-26/akiko-fujimoto-is-back-in-south-texas-kind-of|access-date=2021-11-05|website=TPR|language=en}}</ref> In October 2019, she was hired to be the Mid-Texas Symphony as their next music director,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> a position she still holds as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-10|title=Mid-Texas' Season Opener A Showcase For Whole Orchestra|url=https://www.tpr.org/arts-culture/2021-09-10/mid-texas-season-opener-a-showcase-for-whole-orchestra|access-date=2021-11-05|website=TPR|language=en}}</ref>

In 2021, Fujimoto was one of seven candidates who applied to lead Vermont Symphony Orchestra.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Timeline: A conversation with Akiko Fujimoto|url=https://www.vpr.org/podcast/timeline/2021-10-25/timeline-a-conversation-with-akiko-fujimoto|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Vermont Public Radio|language=en}}</ref> She was a guest conductor on October 30, 2021, where she closed the Vermont Symphony Orchestra program with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21 and Suad Bushnaq’s “Sampson’s Walk on Air.”<ref>{{Cite web|last=Writer|first=Jim Lowe Staff|title=Music Review: First VSO candidate excels in Beethoven|url=https://www.timesargus.com/features/vermont_arts/music-review-first-vso-candidate-excels-in-beethoven/article_f99c5f58-e20f-5ebc-bf43-42a33fdee811.html|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Times Argus|date=November 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

== References ==

== External links == *Akiko Fujimoto's [https://akikofujimoto.com/ personal website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujimoto, Akiko}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Music directors Category:Japanese women conductors (music) Category:21st-century Japanese conductors (music) Category:Stanford University alumni Category:Eastman School of Music alumni Category:Boston University alumni Category:Living people Category:Women music directors