About the Musical Director

Jun Nakabayashi has been active in both symphonic and operatic field for the past twenty years. Currently Music Director for Taconic Opera (Peekskill, NY), Nakabayashi holds a repertoire of more than 100 symphonic works and 30 operas. He has conducted Bay Shore Lyric Opera (Capitola, CA), Livermore Valley Opera (Livermore, CA), The South Bay Chamber Ensemble (San Jose, CA), Oakland Lyric Opera (Oakland, CA), and ALEA II Contemporary Music Ensemble (Stanford, CA). He was Music Director of the Riverside Orchestra (New York, NY) from 2002 to 2007.

Working since its inception, Nakabayashi contributed in ensuring the reputation of Taconic Opera as a company that can present challenging works in the highest quality. Critics and audience especially raved his productions of Aida, Manon Lescaut, and Mefistofele.

Always striving to bring the best out of his performers, Nakabayashi raised the 36-year-old Riverside Orchestra to a level that it had never achieved prior to his appointment. Notable soloists including Phillip Myers, Nancy Allen, and Mindy Kaufman commended his charisma and musical instinct, and enthusiastically returned for subsequent appearances.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, he received his AB degree in Music from University of California at Berkeley. After receiving his MM degree in Orchestral Conducting from State University of New York at Stony Brook, he studied with Gabriele Bellini at Conservatorio di Musica, “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan, Italy. As assistant to Mr. Bellini, Nakabayashi traveled to Florence, Verona, and Stamford, Connecticut for his opera productions. He prepared the singers and orchestra for the CD recording of La sonnambula and Linda di Chamounix at Nationale Reisopera in the Netherlands (ARTS MUSIC label), conducted by Gabriele Bellini. He was on the Music Staff of Opera San Jose (San Jose, CA) from 1990 to 1998, and conducted Die Zauberflöte, The Merry Widow, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Tartuffe, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly, La traviata, La Bohème, Die Fledermaus, and Faust.

His notable performances include a concert performance of Der Fliegende Holländer with the Wagner Society of Northern California in San Francisco, Il trovatore with Vox Artis Zenei Fesztivál (Hungary). He also conducted the ensemble of the San Jose State University School of Music faculty members for the Mario Davidovsky Concert with the composer attending.

Strongly interested in working with young musicians, Nakabayashi has enjoyed conducting at San Jose State University (1997-2001), at the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute in San Francisco (1999-2001, 2003, and 2008) and at Hoff Barthelson Music School (2001-present).