Album Notes

Masatoshi Mitsumoto, conductor and composer

Masatoshi Mitsumoto, Principal Guest Conductor of the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra, has recorded also for Cambria Records (Leo Arnaud's compositions) and MMM Records (three CDs of the film scores of Hollywood's classical monster movies from the 1950's). They were recorded with the Polish National Radio Symphony in Krakow, Poland and the Slovak Radio Symphony in Bratislava, Slovakia respectively.

Born in Tokyo, Mitsumoto started his career as a cellist. After graduating from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts, he studied at the Paris Conservatory and the University of Southern California with Gregor Piatigorsky. In 1977 he established the Laguna Beach Summer Music Festival and was music director and conductor until 1984.

The Concordia Orchestra of Los Angeles was created by Mitsumoto in 1986. He conducted the orchestra through 1998, and gave concerts that included a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with a multi community choir, after the Los Angeles riots in 1992. Further, in 1997 he recorded live with this orchestra the tribute concert for the Japanese composer, Toru Takemitsu.

Mitsumoto relocated to Maryland in 2002. He has been appearing as guest conductor and composer with the Washington Musica Viva since 2003. One of his compositions, "Songs of Innocence" is a favorite of the soprano, Susan Wheeler. She has since performed it three times in the Washington DC area. The recording from one of her performances was selected by Gary Hickling, the former president of the Lotte Lehmann Foundation and was played on the air on Hawaiian Public Radio in June 2004. Other works of Mitsumoto--a Cello Concerto, Violin Concertino and Songs of Experience are all scheduled to premiere in the 2004-2005 season in Washington DC.