Keisuke Wakao

 Keisuke Wakao was appointed assistant principal oboe of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal oboe of the Boston Pops Orchestra in the fall of 1990 having previously performed with the New Japan Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa. He has also made numerous solo appearances, including performances with the Boston Pops Orchestra under John Williams, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Kazuyoshi Akiyama, and the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Wakao was a finalist in the 1988 Lucarelli International Oboe Competition and a participant at the 1994 Spoleto Festival in Italy. He made his Tokyo recital debut in 1997, followed by another recital with pianist Christoph Eschenbach at Sapporo’s 1998 Pacific Music Festival. A native of Tokyo, Mr. Wakao received his performance diploma from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with New York Philharmonic principal oboe Joseph Robinson. While a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, he worked with Alfred Genovese and Ralph Gomberg. A talented teacher, Mr. Wakao founded the annual Keisuke Wakao Oboe Camp in Tokyo in 1988 and is currently on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music. Recently, Keisuke Wakao played principal oboe with the Super World Orchestra in Japan and has also  served as artistic director of the Daikanyama Hillside Terrace Music Festival.