Musicians

桐朋学園大学、ブカレスト音楽大学(旧チプリアン・ポルムベスク音楽院)にて田中雅彦、イオン・ケプテアにコントラバスを、ウィーン音楽大学指揮科やシエナ・キジアーナ音楽院、タングルウッド夏期セミナー特待生として指揮をウーロシュ・ラーヨビッチ、ジュゼッペ・シノーポリ、イルヤ・ムーシン、フェルディナンド・ライトナー、小澤征爾、ベルナルト・ハイティンク各氏に学ぶ。

1989年ブカレスト音楽大学在学中にプロオケを指揮してデビュー。

1993年ブザンソン・青年指揮者コンクール:グランプリ、1998年キリル・コンドラシン国際コンクール第一位を始め、ジュネーブ(スイス賞・1995)、プラハの春(1995)、トスカニーニ(1994)、各コンクールにて上位入賞。

トゥルーズ・キャピトル劇場管弦楽団、ローザンヌ室内管弦楽団、プラハ放送交響楽団、ネザーランドフィル、ブカレスト「ジョルジュ・エネスク」フィル、スロバキア放送交響楽団、ベルリン交響楽団、イタリア・カターニア・ベッリーニ劇場、中国国家交響楽団、リオ・デ・ジャネイロ:ペトロブラス交響楽団をはじめとする、ヨーロッパ、アメリカ、ブラジル、アジアのオーケストラに客演、海外に於ける国際交流に関わるイベントにも度々招待され、日本中国国交正常化30周年、日本・ルーマニア修交100周年、マケドニアにおける日本国ODA記念、ブラジル移民100周年、日本ドナウ交流年2009等のコンサートで指揮者として出演している。日本では東京フィル、東京交響楽団、大阪フィル、関西フィル、広島交響楽団、札幌交響楽団、東京シティフィル、を始めとする日本の数々のオーケストラに客演。大阪シンフォカー交響楽団(現大阪交響楽団)・音楽監督、ルーマニア放送交響楽団・客演指揮者、東京ニューシティ管弦楽団・首席指揮者・正指揮者を歴任。

　イタリア、ルーマニア、ブラジルの音楽祭やセミナーで後進の指導にあたる一方、イタリアを代表する指揮者コンクール、アントニオ・ベデロッティ・コンクールから審査員として招聘されている。2006年から2014年までブラジル・ロンドリーナ音楽祭(ロンドリーナ大学主催)の首席指揮者を務めた。

近年作曲家としても盛んに新曲を発表、曽我の作品は日本を始め、ルーマニア、ブラジル、スペイン、イタリア、アメリカ、オーストリアでも演奏されている。

2013年は長年客演しているルーマニア・ブラショフ・フィルハーモニーホール落成記念コンサート及びシーズン開幕コンサート、ブラショフオペラのシーズン開幕公演の指揮者を務めた。

著書としては音楽之友社の『歌う人のための《第九》合唱譜』、2013年7月に 『《第九》虎の巻　歌う人・弾く人・聴く人のためのガイドブック』 、2015年3月には『シベリウス《フィンランディア》合唱譜』、『聴きたい曲が見つかる！クラシック入門～毎日が満たされるシーン別名曲(CD付)』(技術評論社)がある。

また、2021年末には指揮者ならではの知識が詰まったベートーヴェン関連の2冊『ベートーヴェン、21世紀のウィーンを歩く。』(集英社)と『ベートーヴェンのトリセツ 指揮者が読み解く天才のスゴさ』(音楽之友社)が刊行された。

ルーマニア・ブラショフ市とブラジル・ロンドリーナ市より、同地での長年の活動に対して名誉市民の称号が贈られている。ルーマニアと日本の相互理解の功績により、令和３年度外務大臣表彰

2022年は　韓国光州国際音楽祭、ダラス交響楽団に客演予定。

Resident conductor of Tokyo New City Orchestra(A full member of Japanese Professional Orchestra Association).Born in 1965 OSAKA, Japan. 

Studied music in Toho-Gakuen Univ.Tokyo, Music University Bucharest(double bass) with professors, Masahiko Tanaka and Ion Cheptea, Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst(dirigieren), Accademia Musicale Chigiana(Siena-Italia), Tanglewood Music Seminar(as Fellowship conductor), with professors including, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Uros Lajovic, Ilya Mushin, Seiji Ozawa, Bernard Haitink, Ferdinand Leitner etc. 

Won prizes from numerous major competitions for conductors as: Besançon(1993-Grand Prix). Kondrashin(1998-1st prize, EBU prize), Geneve, Prague-Spring, Toscanini. etc.

Soga made his debut as conductor in 1989 with Romanian Professional orchestras and until now he conducted numerous orchestras from Europe, Asia, USA, Brasil including; Orchestre National de Capitol de Toulouse, Orchestre de Chambre Lousanne, Wiener Kammerorchester, Teatro Massimo Catania, Berliner Symponiker, the Netherland Philharmonic, George Enescu Philharmonic, Berliner Symphoniker, Petrobras Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Japan Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmonic, Hiroshima Symphony, China National Symphony etc. 

He activated as a youngest Music Director in Japan with Osaka Symphony, and made success with their first European Tour. He also worked as Principal conductor in Tokyo New City Orchestra. 

Soga, as Music composer, his composisiton is performed worldwide ; Japan, USA, Romania, Austria, Brasil, Italy, Spain. 

Musical Seminars and Festivals including Londrina-Brasil, Catania-Italy for young musicians invited him as professor.Also, Soga was invited as a one of the member or jury in Concorso "Antonio Pedrotti" in Italy. 

In 2013, Soga was invited to conduct Inauguration concert of New Brasov Philharmonic"Patria" hall, also Season Opening performances of the Brasov Philharmonic and the Brasov Opera. The success of the Japan tour of the Braşov Philharmonic Orchestra (2017), with whom he has worked for many years, is fresh in his mind.

　He received an award from the Japanese Foreign Minister in 2021 for deepening understanding between Japan and Romania.

　Soga is Citizen of honor of Londrina City in Brasil and Brasov City in Romania. 

　In 2022, he is scheduled to make guest appearances with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra.

桐朋学園大学音楽学部卒業。指揮を堤俊作、秋山和慶、小澤征爾らに師事。1978年、東京シティ・フィルハーモニック管弦楽団特別演奏会でデビュー。1979年、東京国際音楽コンクール〈指揮〉部門で第2位と、初めての特別賞(齋藤秀雄賞)を受賞。1980年、テレビ番組『オーケストラがやって来た』の専属指揮者に、また1981年にはNTV系『私の音楽会』の専属指揮者に選ばれる。東京シティ・フィルハーモニック管弦楽団、名古屋フィルハーモニー交響楽団、京都市交響楽団、広島交響楽団の指揮者を歴任の傍ら、読売日本交響楽団、東京都交響楽団、新日本フィルハーモニー交響楽団をはじめ全国の主要オーケストラに客演。内外の著名ソリストとも数多く共演。1988年7月、中国国立放送管弦楽団を指揮。1989年よりベルリンにおいて作曲家、尹伊桑(ユン・イサン)の下で研鑽を積む。1991年、帰国後にユン・イサンの作品、交響曲第2番、第3番を始め数多くの管弦楽作品を日本初演（新日本フィル、東響、京響、他）。[1] 1992年9月には、ニューヨーク・コーリアン交響楽団を指揮し、カーネギーホールでアメリカデビュー。また、1998年に長野で開催されたパラリンピック開幕式典演奏の指揮をつとめた。同年、渡邉暁雄音楽賞受賞。

2000年10月、ソウルで開かれたアジア欧州会議(ASEM)の祝賀公演に招かれて韓国KBS交響楽団を指揮、引き続き2001年4月、2003年8月、2005年8月に客演。2002年7月には韓国交響楽団定期演奏会に客演する。2004年10月、文化庁舞台芸術国際フェスティバル公演として、ソウル・フィルハーモニック管弦楽団来日公演と続くソウル公演を指揮。

2001年10月に韓国《芸術の殿堂・オペラハウス》でヴェルディのオペラ「仮面舞踏会」を5夜連続公演。2003年9月にはひろしまオペラ推進委員会主催による日韓提携公演プッチーニ「蝶々夫人」を指揮。

2007年より韓国・蔚山（ウルサン）市立響の芸術監督に就任。2012年6月にアメリカ、カナダで公演、更に2015年6月に行われたアメリカ公演では、カーネギーホール、国連本部会議場ホールで公演。

2016年6月には、韓国・光州（クァンジュ）市立響創立40周年を記念した来日公演を指揮。同年11月、同響常任指揮者に就任。

The first experience of music at his early age was an upright piano at his mother's maiden home. In 1967, he entered Amagasaki Korean Middle School and studied clarinet in school band. He also studied improved Korean folk instruments sent from North Korea. In 1969, School Band of Amagasaki Korean Middle School won a grand prize of 'Competition of Korean Students resident in Japan' under his direction.

In 1973, Kim entered Toho Gakuen School of Music as one of the first Korean nationals. He changed his clarinet major to conducting with Ken Takaseki and Naoto Otomo in 1975. Before his graduation in 1977, he attended the classes of, among others, Seiji Ozawa, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Tadashi Mori and Shunsaku Tsutsumi. On Tsutsumi's recommendation, he was appointed as resident conductor of Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra when he studied in Toho. In 1977, he conducted Toho Orchestra with Seiji Ozawa on podium at Toho Gakuen's graduation concert.

After graduation, Kim was début officially with Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra on March 22, 1978 at Shibuya Public Hall, Tokyo. This concert, titled 'Special Concert of (North) Korean Orchestral Works,' got a sensational response-not only the first conductor of Korean nationality but of any work premièred in Japan.

Following this year, he participated in Tokyo International Conductors' Competition and was awarded the second prize with a special prize named after Hideo Saito. In the same year, he was invited by North Korea to conduct the State Symphony Orchestra of DPRK. In 1980, he conducted the concerts of prizewinners from Hokkaidō to Kyūshū.

Kim was appointed as the conductor of television program titled 'Here comes the orchestra' of Tokyo Broadcasting System(TBS) with Kazushi Ono and Deryck Inoue in 1980. Following this year, he conducted other television program titled 'My Concert' of Nippon Television(NTV). During these two years, he conducted numerous works from Bach to Shostakovich and accompanied many well-known soloists including Hiroko Nakamura, Mitsuko Uchida, Toshia Eto, Ko Iwasaki, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Mikhail Pletnev with two regular orchestras-New Japan Philharmonic and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra-and other cities' orchestras.

In 1981, Kim became a principal guest conductor of Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. His other important positions were principal guest conductor of Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra since 1985 and principal guest conductor of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra since 1987. He toured with Kyoto Symphony Orchestra in Pyongyang and Wonsan-first appearance of Japan's orchestra in North Korea-in 1987. He also appeared in Beijing with China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra (now China Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1988.

Kim met the composer Isang Yun in 1986 and became an admirer of his music. He conducted Yun's first work Exemplum, in memoriam Kwangju on stage of '1st Hankyore Concert' in April 1989. He resigned three orchestras' positions and went to Germany in September. He studied Yun's works with the composer himself.

In 1990, he participated in 'Pan-Nation Unification Concert' held in Pyongyang and conducted Yun's Fanfare und Memorial in presence of the composer. And in 1992, Kim appeared on '75th Birthday Celebration Festival of Isang Yun' held in Tokyo and conducted Yun's Third Symphony' premiered in Japan. Kim conducted more than pieces of Yun's works premiered in Japan, and was highly praised by the composer.

Kim's activities were not only formal classical concerts but crossover and concerts of Korean residents in Japan including Hankyoreh Concert (1989–1993). He introduced many North and South Korean songs and orchestral works, including those produced by his maternal uncle Cheol-Woo Lee. The 8th Hankyore Concert held in Carnegie Hall of New York City in September 1992, which was also Kim's début concert in the US.

He also met Joe Hisaishi, a well-known composer of Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi Kitano's film music, with whom he appeared in many concerts together since 1991. Kim also conducted crossover concerts with Jazz musicians including Aiko Takahashi and Terumasa Hino. And he conducted many concert bands in Japan, including Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band, of which he was a principal conductor from 1991 to 1994. In 1998, he conducted opening ceremony of 7th Winter Paralympic Games held in Nagano (produced by Hisaishi.) Following this appearance, he received music prize named after Akeo Watanabe and became the only one that won two grand prizes for Japanese conductor at that time.

Kim and South Korean violinist Jeong Chan-Woo held a concert named 'Unity Concert' in June 2000. This concert was previously planned in 1985, but South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not approve of Jeong's departure to Japan due to his North Korean nationality. Thus this concert was a famous event not only to Korean residents in Japan but also in South Korea. In October 2000, he visited South Korea for the first time for ASEM Music Festival held in Seoul where he conducted Isang Yun's Muak and Asian premiere of Ferruccio Busoni's Piano Concerto played by the well-known pianist Baek Geon-Woo (Kun-Woo Paik) and KBS Symphony Orchestra.

By this time, Kim conducted nearly all orchestras of Japan except NHK Symphony Orchestra. He conducts not only professional but orchestras of university, citizens and other amateur orchestras and concert bands. And he appeared several concerts of KBS Symphony Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Korea in South Korea.

Since November 2007, Kim was appointed to his very first position in South Korea as a principal conductor of the Ulsan Symphony Orchestra.