Jonathan Nott conducts Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
R. Strauss: "Der Rosenkavalier" concert style in 3 act

With his immense charisma and inspired programming drawing on a symphonic repertoire that extends from Schubert and Bruckner to Mahler and Shostakovich, and to the very edge of creation in the world of contemporary music, conductor Jonathan Nott shares his musical and human experience at the highest level. Jonathan Nott has been Music Director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra since 2014. Together with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, he led ‘Elektra’ in concert style to the best concert in the ‘Concert Top Ten’ by Ongaku no Tomo Magazine and ‘Salome’ to the ‘Best 10 Performances’ by Mainichi Classic Navi as well as the Music Pen Club Music Prize in 2020. He began his career at the opera houses in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden where he conducted all major works of the repertoire including Wagner’s complete Ring cycle. Jonathan Nott has an extensive and eclectic catalog of highly acclaimed recordings including works by Mahler, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra on Octavia Records.

Sir Thomas Allen is an established star of the great opera houses of the world. He has sung over fifty roles at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; this year he celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut with the Company. An acclaimed recitalist, he is equally renowned on the concert platform and has appeared with the world’s great orchestras and conductors. His many honours include the title of Bayerischer Kammersänger awarded by the Bayerische Staatsoper. In the New Year’s Honours of 1989 he was created a Commander of the British Empire and in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours he was made a Knight Bachelor. Among his proudest achievements is having a Channel Tunnel locomotive named after him; and most recently, being awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music 2013.

Swedish soprano Miah Persson, celebrated for her Mozart and Strauss interpretations, made her operatic debut in 1998 as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro). Renowned for roles like Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), she later gained acclaim in Strauss roles, including the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier) and Countess (Capriccio).

In the 2024–25 season, Persson will perform Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder with the New York Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, and Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana. She sings Marschallin in concert with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. Other highlights include Bach’s Mass in B Minor in Rome and Prague, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on tour in Spain, and Missa Solemnis with the Berlin Radio Symphony.

A distinguished concert artist, she has performed at leading venues, including Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, and Carnegie Hall, showcasing a repertoire spanning Mozart to Mahler.

Scottish mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison gained international recognition in 2017, winning the Main Prize and shared Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. A former ensemble member at Oper Wuppertal (2016–2018), she excelled in roles including Charlotte (Werther), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), and more recently, The Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea).

Her concert career highlights include her BBC Proms debut in 2019 with Sea Pictures and performances with leading orchestras in works by Elgar, Mahler, and Beethoven. Recent notable appearances include Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Jakub Hrůša and Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Vienna Philharmonic.

In the 2024/25 season, she debuts as Mary in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier in Tokyo. Concert highlights include Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette in Hamburg and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in Melbourne, Sapporo, and Dallas.

French soprano Elsa Benoit is acclaimed for her versatile repertoire spanning Baroque to contemporary works. A graduate of the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Dutch National Opera Academy, she won multiple prizes early in her career, including at the Symphonies d’Automne and MACM competitions.

Benoit performed with Stadttheater Klagenfurt (2015–16) in roles like Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Micaëla (Carmen), for which she earned the Austrian Music Theatre Award. At the Bavarian State Opera, her roles included Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Poppea (Agrippina), the latter recorded for Warner Classics and Grammy-nominated.

Now a freelance artist, recent highlights include Alcina at Palais Garnier, Les Mamelles de Tirésias at Glyndebourne, and Werther in Cologne. In 2024/25, she debuts as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) in Dresden, Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) in Tokyo, and Pamina (The Magic Flute) in France. Concert highlights include Poulenc’s Gloria in Paris and Bruckner’s Mass in F minor in Zurich.

Austrian bass Albert Pesendorfer studied flute and voice at the Bruckner University Linz and Vienna’s Musikuniversität. Renowned for his Wagnerian repertoire, he has performed as Hunding, Hagen (Götterdämmerung), and Gurnemanz under conductors like Adam Fischer and Marek Janowski. He debuted at the Bayreuth Festival in 2016 and has appeared at major opera houses, including Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Opernhaus Zürich.

Recent highlights include Fasolt in Das Rheingold at Teatro Real Madrid, Osmin at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier) in Dresden and Zürich. Upcoming roles include Boris Godunov and a new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Berlin.

Pesendorfer is also a sought-after concert artist, with debuts planned with the Czech Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, and returns to the Beethoven Orchester Bonn. His repertoire spans nearly 60 roles, including Hans Sachs, König Marke, Daland, Sarastro, and Filippo II.

German baritone Markus Eiche has built an acclaimed career, excelling in opera, concert, and teaching. A Bayreuth Festival regular since 2007, he has performed roles including Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Kothner (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), and Donner (Das Rheingold). In 2023/24, he appears as Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde) in Seville and Tokyo, Wolfram in Munich and Bayreuth, and debuts Fabian Künzli's Oceana Mystica. Other highlights include War Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem with the Staatskapelle Dresden, and Die Schöpfung in Hamburg.

Eiche has graced major stages such as the Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, with roles like Faninal (Der Rosenkavalier), Beckmesser (Die Meistersinger), and Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande). He also champions contemporary works and art song, performing Winterreise and premieres by Rihm and Reimann. A professor at Freiburg University of Music since 2016, he combines artistry with mentorship.

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, together with music director Jonathan Nott, has been attracting attention as a leader in the Japanese orchestra world.《Elektra in Concert Style(2023)》won the 1st prize in the “Top 10 Concert 2023” following the 2nd prize of《Salome in Concert Style(2022)》on Ongaku no Tomo magazine as well as the Best Recording of Music Pen club Japan Award for Opera & Orchestra category and Tokyo Symphony Chorus, Orchestra’s amateur chorus also won the prize for Chamber & Chorus category.

Highlights of past seasons with Mo. Nott include Symphony 9 by Beethoven filmed by 45 cameras, the largest record of the orchestra history live-streamed nationwide, Gurre-Lieder by Schoenberg celebrating 15th Anniversary of Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, TSO’s home and Mozart’s Da Ponte Operas in concert style. In March 2020, the live-streamed concert without audience on nico-nico Live Channel which attracted more than 200,000 viewers nationwide, has been a mega-hit in Japan.

Outside of Japan, the orchestra has performed 80 concerts in 59 cities since 1976. The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1946 as Toho Symphony Orchestra, and changed its name to Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in April 1951, and has a reputation for giving first performances of a number of contemporary music and opera, and has been regularly performing various operas and ballets at the New National Opera Theatre, Tokyo since its opening in 1997.

Graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school. Completed the Mozarteum University Salzburg and the Nikikai Opera Institute. She made her debut as the title role in Alcina for the Nikikai Opera Theatre, and she received acclaim in her roles as Maria in Friedenstag and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser. She also appeared as a soloist in Beethoven Symphony No.9 with several orchestras.In October 2024, she appeared as the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten for the Nikikai Opera Theatre. A member of Nikikai.

He made her European opera debut as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Since then, he has performed at the Berlin State Opera, the Linz State Theater, the Halle Opera House, and the State Theater of Vorpommern in Germany as an exclusive soloist. He appeared in Prince Sou-Chong in Das Land des Lächelns. He has also appeared in many media outlets. He is the host of KNB Radio's "Dreaming Classics", an ambassador for international arts and culture exchange for Himi City, a member of Nikikai.

Graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school. She studied in Italy as an overseas trainee of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. She has won numerous prizes, including the second prize at the 72nd Music Competition of Japan.In operas, she has performed many roles including Quickly in Falstaff for the Nikikai Opera Theatre, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the Nissay Theatre, Frika in Die Walküre for the Biwako Hall Opera Productions. She appeared as a soloist in Duruflé’s Requiem conducted by J. Nott in November 2024. She is an associate professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts. A member of Nikikai.

Graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music and its graduate school. Completed the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.He spent 23 years in the United States, and after returning to Japan, performed at the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy and the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, among others. After making a sudden appearance in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the New National Theatre in 2020, he has played the Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Varlaam in Борис Годунов, among others. In 2024, he appeared in the Nikikai Opera Theater Così fan tutte and Die Frau ohne Schatten, back to back, to high acclaim. A member of Nikikai.

Graduated from the Nihon University College of Art, completed master’s program at the Tokyo University of the Arts and the Nikikai Opera Institute. He has won the first prize at the 9th Japan Player’s Competition. He studied in Milan. He has appeared in many productions, including Spoletta in Tosca, Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, John Styx in Orphée aux Enfers for Nikikai Opera Theatre, Alcindro in La Bohème for the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, and Lohengrin and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for the Spring Festival in Tokyo. A member of Nikikai.

Graduated from the Tokyo College of Music Vocal Music Course. Completed the New National Theatre Opera Studio. He won the role of the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at the Giuseppe Di Stefano International Competition. He has appeared many productions with Singapore Lyric Opera, including Die Zauberflöte and La Bohème.He has played an active role in popular productions, including Alfredo in La Traviata for the Nikikai Opera Theater, Ferrando in Così fan tutte for the Nissay Theatre, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream for the New National Theatre, and Fenton in Falstaff. A member of Nikikai.

Graduated from the Tokyo Gakugei University, completed its graduate school and the Nikikai Opera Institute. He has won the Encouragement Award at the 10th Tokyo International Vocal Music Competition. He has performed many roles including Viscount Gaston in La Traviata for the Nikikai Opera Theater, Bardolfo in Falstaff, Orpheus in Orphée aux Enfers, and the voice of a young man in Die Frau ohne Schatten as well as Aisslinger in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for the Spring Festival in Tokyo. In recent years, he has expanded his field of activities by taking on many roles as a choral instructor and conductor. A member of Nikikai.