KenshoWatanabe

Critically acclaimed for his ‘midas touch’ (OperaWire) Kensho Watanabe is known for his collaborative leadership and intelligently crafted performances.

The 2026/27 season includes his debut at Scottish Opera (Fidelio) in Beethoven's anniversary year and Florentine Opera (La traviata) alongside Milwaukee Symphony. He also makes his debut with Gunma Philharmonic in Mahler's Second Symphony and works with Rochester Philharmonic, Alabama and Charleston Symphonies as well as returning for projects with the Tokyo Philharmonic.

Recent highlights include returns to the Metropolitan Opera (La bohème, Champion, The Hours), Detroit Opera (Madame Butterfly), Houston (Silent Night) as well as his debut at the Suntory Hall with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has led projects with National Orchestra Ireland, Florida Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic and Opera Theatre St Louis (Don Pasquale) as part of their 50th anniversary season.

Other symphonic highlights include Watanabe’s debuts with the London Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Turku Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony and Filarmonia Szczecin. Watanabe has also enjoyed collaborations with the Houston and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, Brussels Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, RTE Concert Orchestra and at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival.

Watanabe was the inaugural conducting fellow of the Curtis Institute of Music from 2013 to 2015, studying with his longtime mentor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. An accomplished violinist, Watanabe received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with distinguished conducting pedagogue Otto-Werner Mueller. Additionally, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale, where he studied molecular, cellular, and developmental biology.