The 668th Subscription Concert 2025.April.19（Sat）17:00～
/ April.20（Sun）13:00～ Sapporo Concert Hall; Kitara

© Y.Fujii

Elias GRANDY＜Chief Conductor, from April 2025＞（conductor）

Elias Grandy’s international profile is rapidly rising by conducting first-class orchestras and opera productions in Europe, America and Asia. Hailed by the press as “passionate and full of temperament”, “vigorous and equally precise” and praised for his ability to “grasp psychological subtleties under a microscope”, the German-Japanese conductor gave recently highly successful debuts with renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic and Minnesota Orchestra. In 23/24 the energetic, charismatic conductor will return to Frankfurt Radio Symphony, National Youth Orchestra of Germany and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Tokyo and give debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires and the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken. Furthermore, he will take the Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie Chemnitz on a tour to Poland as their “conductor in residence” for 23/24 and appear frequently with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra with whom he enjoys a close relationship for many years. Elias is equally devoted as an opera conductor, feeling passionately about theatre and musically shaping the narrative of each drama. In recent years he has conducted highly acclaimed productions of Elektra and Carmen at Minnesota Opera, Werther and A Village Romeo and Juliet at Frankfurt Opera, Un ballo in maschera at Aalto-Theatre Essen, Carmen at Opera Nikikai Tokyo and Rusalka at Portland Opera. Future engagements include the Semperoper Dresden and reinvitations to Frankfurt Opera and Opera Nikikai Tokyo. Last season he finished his tenure as music director of Heidelberg’s Opera and Philharmonic orchestra where he significantly raised the caliber of both, providing thoughtful, innovative programming and burnishing the city’s fast-growing reputation as a vital musical hub. Enthusiastic about making music more accessible, he introduced several highly popular concert formats for young people and an educated audience. His final season programme included Prokofjev’s Love for Three Oranges, Bruckner’s Symphony No.7 and a series of unknown works by female composers. Born of German-Japanese parents Elias studied cello and conducting in Munich, Basel, and Berlin. He worked as a cellist in orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Komische Oper Berlin. He started his conducting career as Resident Conductor at Staatstheater Darmstadt and shortly after won the prestigious Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition. In 2015 he was named music director in Heidelberg, a position he held until 2023. Grandy was a member of the Orchestra Academy (cello) in 2004, and of the Conducting Academy in 2012. In 2024 he makes his return to PMF as Guest Conductor.

© Renate Torseth

Mari ERIKSMOEN（soprano）

Born in Norway, Eriksmoen studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo), the Conservatoire National Supérieure de Musique in Paris, and the Royal Danish Opera Academy in Copenhagen. She has demonstrated her outstanding musicality and versatility in operas, orchestral concerts, and recitals around Europe, and has made many appearances in the world's leading opera houses and concert halls. In opera, she made her debut at the Theater an der Wien in 2010 with Zerbinetta in Ariadne of Naxos, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Over the following 10 years, she made regular appearances at the theatre, including Susanna, Zerlina and Fiordiligi in the Mozart, Da Ponte Trilogy under the direction of the late Harnoncourt. She also made her debut at the Salzburg Festival. Recently, she has performed Mahler's "Resurrection" with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi and the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Makela, both highly acclaimed. This performance with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra is her first appearance in Japan.

© Jeremy Knowles

Catriona MORISON（mezzosoprano）

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Morison studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Scotland and the University of the Arts in Berlin. In 2015, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as a member of the Young Singers Project led by Franz Weather=Möst, and since then has appeared at the Edinburgh International Music Festival, the Cologne Opera, and the Bergen State Opera. She also emphasizes songs and concert repertoire, and in 2019 she made her debut at the BBC Proms with Elgar's "Pictures of the Sea". She also appeared with the Vienna Philharmonic in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis conducted by Adam Fischer. In Japan, Morison performed with the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo conducted by Fabio Luisi in Mahler Symphony No. 8 and with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Knott in "Der Rosenkavalier" (Octavian), both left a strong impression with her beautiful and transparent singing and her rich expressiveness. In the 2024/25 season, in addition to this concert, she will sing in Mahler's "Resurrection" with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Luisi.