“Fujimoto’s leadership was vivid and masterful throughout.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

With expressive style, meticulous preparation and a gift for connecting with ensembles, Japanese conductor Akiko Fujimoto is known for evoking dynamic performances wherever she conducts, inspiring praise for her “powerhouse performance” from the San Francisco Chronicle. Fujimoto is currently Music Director of the Mid-Texas Symphony. She has held titled conducting positions with the Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, and Virginia Symphony, and made conducting appearances with numerous other U.S. orchestras including San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, Houston Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, and Florida Orchestra.

Highlights from recent seasons include her debuts with the Interlochen Philharmonic, Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Philharmonic. Upcoming engagements include her debut with the Charlotte Symphony, leading a North Carolina premiere of Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto for Violin and Piano.

The 2024/2025 season marks Fujimoto’s sixth season as Music Director of the Mid-Texas Symphony, where she has guided the ensemble through the pandemic, spearheaded a period of unprecedented growth, and led the ensemble into its watershed 45th anniversary season. Recent projects include a Texas premiere of Peter Boyer’s _Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue_and the world premiere of Grace Xu Schott’s Hill Country Piano Concerto.

At the Minnesota Orchestra, Fujimoto held the title of Associate Conductor. Working closely with Music Director Osmo Vänskä, she conducted concerts in a range of genres and formats including Sommerfest, pops, and educational programming. She also previously worked with Esa-Pekka Salonen, Zubin Mehta, and Susanna Mälkki as a cover conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As Conducting Associate of the Virginia Symphony, Fujimoto conducted a variety of subscription, educational, and community concerts, and worked closely with Music Director JoAnn Falletta.

In her time as Associate Conductor at the San Antonio Symphony, Fujimoto’s highlights included a gala concert featuring violinist Gil Shaham and fully staged ballet productions of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. She was widely appreciated for connecting with audiences through her on-stage presentations and weekly pre-concert lectures, and for her successful collaborations with organizations including Mariachi Campanas de America, Guadalupe Dance Company, U.S. Air Force Band of the West, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Mass Choir.

Fujimoto holds a bachelor’s degree in music and psychology from Stanford University and Master of Music degrees in conducting from Eastman School of Music and Boston University. She began her career with conducting roles at Harvard University and Stanford University, later serving as Director of Orchestras at the College of William & Mary and Music Director of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestras.