Kanako Abe
dirigent
conductor
Kanako Abe, based in Den Haag (Netherlands) is a conductor, pianist and composer which is highly acclaimed as a specialist of contemporary repertoire. She premiered more than 160 pieces and works in collaboration with worldwide renowned composers like Michael Jarrell, Jonathan Harvey, Michael Lévinas, Régis Campo, Motoharu Kawashima and more.
Kanako Abe now holds a position of Music Director of Orchestre Symphonique des Dômes in Auvergne region of France and Ensemble Orochi since 2022/23 seasons as well as Music Partner of Tokyo Ensemnable Factory (a chamber ensemble for contemporary music) since 2015 and Ensemble Muromachi (an ensemble collaborated with European baroque instruments and Japanese traditional instruments) since 2019 both based in Tokyo. She is also appointed as an Artistic Director a of Orchestre Symphonique des Dômes from 2024/25 season.
She was a music director of ‘Ensemble Multilaterale’ from 2005 to 2014. From 2008 to 2010, she was also in position of assistant conductor at Opernhaus Zürich and Opera National de Montpellier working with such conductor as Fabio Luisi, Enrique Mazzola, Lawrence Foster, Alain Altinoglu and more.
She was invited to conduct from the orchestra such as Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, Orchestre National d’Ile de France, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Orchestre de Caen, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Tokyo Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra and more. On 2022/23 Season, she will appear 8 concerts in total at Orchestre Symphonique des Dômes as a Music Director preparing to succeed the Music Director from 2024/25 seasons. Another activity was to conduct Bushra El=Turk’s new Opera “Woman at Point Zero” which premiered at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence on July 2022.
On 2023/24 Season, she will make her debut to Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France and Osaka Philharmoinc, Nagoya Philharmonic and the Fujiwara Opera with Gounod’s “Faust” which will be her Opera Debut in Japan.
Kanako Abe obtained 7 prizes related to conducting, composition and accompaniment at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), Master degree of conducting at Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts in Tilburg in Netherlands and a diploma in composition at Tokyo University of Arts.
Her conducting mentors are Zsolt Nagy, János Fürst. Fabio Luisi and Etienne Siebens. This basic background not only puts her into the expert on conducting of contemporary music but also gives her the renovative vision of interpretation on classical repertoires.
Her conviction for the sustainability in music activity is based on two principles: supporting new creations and promoting the education.
In order to expand music fans and create next future, she actively programs and performs new works of living composers, participates to the educational project for young people as well as the social contribution to those who are in need.
