The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) has announced that Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada will take up the role of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director from the 2026–27 season. He will succeed Robin Ticciati, who stepped down in November 2024, and becomes the ninth conductor to hold the position, following figures such as Ferenc Fricsay, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Kent Nagano.
Yamada, who currently serves as Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Artistic and Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, signed a three-year contract with the DSO. Though his tenure officially begins in 2026, he will return to the DSO on 26 April 2025 as Chief Conductor Designate for a concert at the Berlin Philharmonie.
In a statement, Yamada expressed gratitude and anticipation for the new role, noting the significance of a Japanese conductor taking a leading post in Berlin. “I had the pleasure of working with the orchestra in April and September of last year and felt a truly special chemistry,” he said.
Born in 1979 in Kanagawa, Japan, Yamada won First Prize at the 2009 Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors. He studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts and has since developed an international career, conducting leading orchestras across Europe, the United States, and Asia. He recently appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra and made debuts with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Filarmonica della Scala, and Wiener Symphoniker.
Yamada has lived in Berlin with his family for several years, a detail that underscores his long-term connection to the city’s cultural scene. His work in education and outreach, including regular involvement with the Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland and the CBSO’s development programmes, is also a hallmark of his career.
The DSO’s Orchestra Board praised Yamada’s “exceptional musicality” and his ability to bring clarity to complex repertoire.
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