Keisuke Wakao

Sunday, April 25, 2027
Brahms Violin Concerto

A native of Tokyo, Keisuke Wakao was appointed assistant principal oboe of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal oboe of the Boston Pops in the fall of 1990, a post he held for 36 years — the Farla and Harvey Chet Krentzman chair, endowed in perpetuity. He announced his retirement from the BSO at the close of the 2026 Tanglewood season; Kip Zimmerman succeeds him as associate principal oboe beginning in the 2026–27 season.

Before joining the BSO, Wakao was a member of the New World Symphony from its inaugural 1988 season under Michael Tilson Thomas. He performed with the New Japan Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa in 1985 and made his concerto debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Kazuyoshi Akiyama in 1989. He received his performance diploma from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with former New York Philharmonic principal oboe Joseph Robinson, and joined that school’s faculty immediately after graduating. He was also a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow, studying with former BSO principals Alfred Genovese and Ralph Gomberg.

Recordings and collaborations with John Williams: Wakao has made three solo recordings on the Denon label, including Abendlied (1997) with pianist Christoph Eschenbach and Keisuke Wakao Plays John Williams (1998). John Williams composed an oboe concerto specifically for Wakao, which premiered on May 25–26, 2011, with Williams conducting the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall — a piece he later revisited for the BSO’s John Williams 80th Birthday Celebration at Tanglewood in 2012.

Teaching and community work: Wakao founded the annual Keisuke Wakao Oboe Camp in Tokyo in 1988 and serves on the faculty of both New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music. He is director of the Daikanyama Hillside Terrace Music Festival in Tokyo, founder of the Church of the Redeemer Concert Series in Chestnut Hill, and founder of the Ventfort Hall Summer Chamber Music Concert Series in Lenox.