No. 2044 Subscription (Program C)

Born in 1989 in California, USA, Ryan Bancroft is one of the up-and-coming conductors gaining the greatest attention. Currently, he serves as the Chief Conductor of Sweden’s Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (2023–), the Principal Conductor of the UK’s BBC National Orchestra of
Wales (2021–), and the Artist in Association of Finland’s Tapiola Sinfonietta (2021–). After opening his tenure as Chief Conductor in Stockholm in 2023, Bancroft’s second season 2024/25 with his orchestra includes performances of Mahler and Bruckner symphonies alongside world premieres of new pieces, whilst working with renowned soloists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Maxim Vengerov and Víkingur Ólafsson.
He studied trumpet at the California Institute of the Arts, before going on to receive a Master of Music in orchestral conducting from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. While studying, he played trumpet with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on many occasions. He continued his conducting studies in the Netherlands and is a graduate of the prestigious Nationale Master Orkestdirectie run jointly by the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
Since his success at the prestigious Malko Competition for Young Conductors in 2018, where he won the First Prize, he has established himself as a regular guest conductor with leading orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra (at the Tanglewood Festival), Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble intercontemporain.
For his NHK Symphony Orchestra debut, the chief of the two leading Nordic orchestras will conduct the Finnish composer Sibelius’s symphonic poem Four Legends, whilst collaborating with the world-renowned baritone Thomas Hampson, his compatriot, in Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn) songs.

American baritone Thomas Hampson, born in 1955, has long been recognized as one of the most innovative and multifaceted musicians of our time.
With more than eighty operatic roles in his repertoire, he shines across a vast array of styles, languages and periods. From Rossini’s elegance to the dramatic depths of Verdi and the modern innovations of contemporary masterpieces, he has portrayed characters that span the full spectrum of human experience and emotion.
A celebrated “ambassador of song,” he is a tireless advocate for the art of the recital, where his ability to connect with audiences through the intimacy of song has made him a beloved figure on stages worldwide. His programs often highlight the rich tradition of German Lieder, particularly the works of Mahler, Schubert, Brahms and Schumann, as well as American song, a genre he has championed with unparalleled dedication.
This is his first appearance with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in a long interval since November 1999 when he shared the stage with the veteran Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting the orchestra on the 50th anniversary of Richard Strauss’s death. This time, he will sing under American rising conductor Ryan Bancroft in Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn) songs.