HEIICHIRO OHYAMA, Viola
Heiichiro Ohyama holds the position of the Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra (USA), Artistic Director of Chanel Pygmalion Chamber Music Series and member of The Chamber Players.
Born in Kyoto, Japan, Mr. Ohyama studied violin and chamber music at the Toho Music High School and College. He graduated from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1970. He then entered Indiana University where he studied viola with William Primrose and violin with Josef Gingold, Ruggiero Ricci, Franco Gulli and chamber music with Janos Starker, Manaham Pressler. He later taught as a Visiting Lecturer at the Indiana University.
In 1974, he won the Young Concert Artist International Audition Award of New York and being a participant of the Marlboro Music Festival since 1972 for several summer, he became increasingly in demand as violist and has performed throughout the United States and abroad.
In 1979 he was appointed as Principal Violist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Carlo Maria Giulini, a position he held for 13 years. In 1981, he began conducting the Youth String Orchestra of the Crossroads School for Sciences and Arts. In 1983 he was appointed the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra. In 1987, Mr. Ohyama was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic by Andre Previn.
His experience includes Artistic Director of the La Jolla Music Society's “SummerFest” from 1986-97, Artistic Director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival from 1991-97, the Principal Chief Conductor of Kyushu Symphony Orchestra in Fukuoka, Japan from 1999-2004 and the Osaka Symphony Orchestra from 2004-2008. Music Director of Nagasaki Music Festival from 2007-2009. He was also Professor of Music at University of California since 1973 to 2003. In 2005, he received the ‘Fukuoka City Cultural Prize’ and in 2008, ‘Outstanding Performance Award’ by the Japanese Government.
