Maestro Kimo Furumoto continues in his 12th season as Music Director and Conductor of the HSO. His innovative programming and energetic podium style attract music lovers from all over to the concerts. Kimo Furumoto serves as Director of Orchestral Activities at California State University, Fullerton, where he spearheaded the initiation of a new orchestral studies program. In this position he conducts the University Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theater and teaches courses in conducting. In January 2005 he was elected to the board of The Conductor’s Guild.

 

Maestro Furumoto served as the Assistant Conductor of the Lyric Mountain Festival for the Performing Arts and as Assistant Conductor for the Lexington Philharmonic. His guest conductor appearances include numerous regional orchestras including the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra, and the River Cities Symphony Orchestra. He made his international conducting debut with the Kurpfalzisches Kamerorchester of Mannheim, Germany. Prior to his position at California State University, Fullerton, Furumoto served as Orchestra Director on the faculties of Ohio Univer-sity and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

 

His appearances include conducting a concert at the critically acclaimed Mass-in-Concert series held at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with Mozart Bicentennial. After completing a one-year internship as Conducting Assistant with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1988, he was invited to return as Guest Assistant Conductor.

 

In addition, he held positions as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra with Boston Pops Conductor, Keith Lock-hart, Kimo Furumoto earned conducting degrees from Chapman Uni-versity and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. He studied conducting under Leonard Bernstein, Robert Shaw, Gerhard Samuel and John Koshak.