Kensho Watanabe
Kensho Watanabe is one of the most versatile young conductors to come out of the United States. He held the position of Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra from 2016 to 2019, and during this time, made his critically acclaimed subscription debut with the Orchestra and pianist Daniil Trifonov, taking over from his mentor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Recent highlights have included his debuts with the Houston Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Brussels Philharmonic and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as his Japanese debut at the Matsumoto Festival.
Watanabe was the inaugural conducting fellow of the Curtis Institute of Music from 2013 to 2015, under the mentorship of Nézet-Séguin. An accomplished violinist, Mr. Watanabe received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music and served as a substitute violinist in The Philadelphia Orchestra from 2012 to 2016.