Kazuki Yamada to leave Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
Kazuki Yamada began conducting the OPMC at the age of 36 © Sasha Gusov / OPMC
Conductor Kazuki Yamada will be stepping down as Artistic and Musical Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo (OPMC) in August 2026, after ten years with the orchestra.
Kazuki Yamada has informed the Board of the OPMC, chaired by the Princess of Hanover, that he will not be renewing his mandate after August 2026. The decision follows his appointment to the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester in Berlin, where he will succeed Robin Ticciati, who conducted the orchestra from 2017 to 2024. The 46-year-old Japanese conductor will have spent a decade in Monaco, during which time he has worked not only with the Orchestra but also with the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Opera and the Printemps des Arts Festival.
At the same time as his duties in Monaco, Kazuki Yamada has been conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra since 2023. Proof of the international recognition he enjoys, the Japanese conductor is the British orchestra’s first non-European musical director: his contract was recently extended until the end of the 2028-2029 season.
A prestigious track record
Since 2016, the OPMC has performed under his baton at a number of European venues including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Salzburg Festival and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The orchestra also toured the conductor’s homeland Japan in 2024.
Over that period, the OPMC recorded several works for a number of different labels: OPMC Classics, Bru Zane Label, Warner Classics and Alpha. These recordings are part of Yamada’s work with the Monegasque orchestra.
Successor sought
The Board has already set a recruitment process in motion to find the orchestra’s next artistic director. The 2025-2026 season will be the last under Kazuki Yamada’s baton. With almost 170 years under its belt, the OPMC is about to start a new chapter.