The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake took a heavy toll on its victims. While it might be difficult for people who have never experienced such a disaster to fully understand the great sorrow over the losses sustained by these victims, everyone can appreciate the efforts of the survivors who have worked hard to restore their community. The Hyogo Performing Arts Center was created as a symbol of the revival of this beautiful area, a revival made possible by the persistence, understanding, love and strong-mindedness of the people that live and work here. Their efforts are declared to the world loudly and clearly through the sound of the magnificent Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra. The musical and theatrical performances presented at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center have encouraged and enriched the lives of countless members of the Hyogo community.

Yutaka Sado Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts and studied under the late Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, and others. He won the Besançon Conductiong Competition in 1989, and the 1st Leonard Bernstein Jerusalem International Conducting Competition in 1995. He has made numerous guest appearances with Europe’s top orchestras, including Orchestre de Paris, Deutsches Symphonie-orchester Berlin, WDR Symphony orchestra Cologne, Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, and North German Radio Symphony Orchestre (currently named as NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra). He worked as Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Austria’s leading orchestra with a history of over 110 years, for 10 years until June 2025, after which he became the orchestra’s honorary conductor. He has performed many operas overseas, including Madama Butterfly at the Oranje Festival (performed by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande), Peter Grimes, Carmen and Le nozze di Figaro at Teatro Regio in Turin. In Japan, he is Artistic Director of Hyogo Performing Arts Center, Music Director of the New Japan Philharmonic and Principal Conductor of the Siena Wind Orchestra, and has released many CDs, the latest being his 23rd CD as conductor of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Mahler: Symphony No.8 (released in May 2026). His publications include How I Became a Conductor (Shincho Bunko), and A Life of Waving Sticks: Conductors Sculpt Time (PHP Bunko/Shinsho). He has received numerous awards, including the Idemitsu Music Award (1991), the Montblanc International Cultural Award (2003), the Akio Watanabe Music Foundation Music Award (2003), the Tokiko Iwatani Award (2014), the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Commendation (2024), and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Commendation (2025).
Yutaka Sado’s web site：http://yutaka-sado.meetsfan.jp