* En anglais uniquement
Japanese conductor
Eiji Oue began with piano lessons at the age of 4, and at 15 commenced with studies at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. His teacher there was
Hideo Saito, the same conductor who instructed
Seiji Ozawa, and it was an invitation from
Ozawa that brought
Oue to the United States for the first time in 1978.
Leonard Bernstein took an interest in
Oue at Tanglewood, and in
Bernstein's last years
Oue served as the older maestro's assistant, touring with him and helping set up the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, one of
Bernstein's last ventures.
Not long after
Bernstein died,
Oue was named music director of the Erie Philharmonic, a position he held until accepting the directorship of the
Minnesota Orchestra. It was with Minnesota that
Oue made his reputation, partly through a series of excellent orchestral collections for the Reference Recordings label, including Mephisto and Co, Exotic Dances from the Opera, and Ports of Call.
Oue decided to step down from his position with the
Minnesota Orchestra in 2002, partly to concentrate on other positions held elsewhere -- he was named principal conductor for the NDR Symphony Orchestra in 1997, at the
Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, and as music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming. In September 2006,
Oue commenced as music director of the
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.