So Matsukawa

Berlin-based conductor So Matsukawa has collaborated closely with Robin Ticciati over recent seasons, serving as Assistant Conductor at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival for Káťa Kabanová (2025) and Tosca (2026), where he also conducted the cover performance. He returns to Glyndebourne in autumn 2026 for Le nozze di Figaro. He has also worked with Ticciati at the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, leading the offstage ensembles in performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and the concert performance of Tristan und Isolde in 2024. He additionally joined Ticciati and the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Assistant Conductor on their tour to Japan.

He conducted the New Year’s Concert presented by the Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft Berlin in 2025 and 2026. These concerts led to the founding of the Deutsch–Japanisches Kammerensemble (DJKE) with So at the helm as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor. The DJKE fosters the artistic exchange between Japan and Europe with their innovative programmes rooted in both cultures. In spring 2026 the Embassy of Japan in Berlin invited the ensemble to give a concert in Berlin and at Schloss Ribbeck as part of the Havelländische Musikfestspiele. The coming seasons will see further concerts and tours.

Prior to relocating to Berlin, he conducted family concerts with the Kansai City Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka, the 25th Anniversary Persona Symphonic Concert with the Grand Philharmonic Tokyo at Sumida Triphony Hall and the Kyoto Junior Orchestra summer concert 2022 at the Ukyo Fureai Bunka Kaikan. In addition he held the assistant conductor position with the Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra in 2021 and 2022.

A prizewinner at several European conducting competitions—including the Constantin Silvestri International Conducting Competition (Bucharest, 2024)—So also won First Prize at the 2024 Conducting Competition organized by the Brass Band Conductors’ Association in Manchester, subsequently conducting the award concert in London. He began his musical studies at the Toho Gakuen School of Music for Children in Tokyo, studying piano and solfège before taking up the tuba at age 12. His deep connection to the instrument and to brass ensemble playing remains an important part of his musical identity, which is concentrating on symphonic and operatic repertoire, contemporary music, and choral works.

Following his initial studies in architectural design at the University of Tsukuba, So pursued conducting at the Kyoto City University of Arts with Nobutaka Masui and Tatsuya Shimono, graduating top of his class with the Mayor of Kyoto Prize and the Kyoto Music Society Prize. He has received further guidance from Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Tadaaki Otaka, Chi-yong Chung, Ken Takaseki, Oleg Caetani, Junichi Hirokami, Yutaka Sado, Ryusuke Numajiri, Mark Heron, and Salvatore Percacciolo.

So’s career has been generously supported by the Yamada Sadao Music Foundation (First Prize and Music Award, 2020) and the Nippon Steel Foundation (Young Conductors Training Support Program), enabling collaborations with the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra in a laureate concert and with the Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra Tokyo, assisting Rainer Honeck, Piotr Anderszewski, and other distinguished conductors.