The Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO) has a new maestro.
Taichi Fukumura beat out three other finalists vying for the job last season, following Maestro Ken Lam's departure in 2022. He led the season opener in October and returned for the popular Holiday Pops in the Heartland.
In addition to rehearsing and directing a pair of concerts, candidates proposed a full season of programming, interviewed with the search committee and cavorted with the board of directors, donors and community members in the ISO’s two home bases: Springfield and Bloomington-Normal.
Selecting Fukumura was the result of all these data points, plus audience surveys and input from the orchestra’s musicians.
“From all of that data and open-ended comments, it was the clear choice that Taichi was the person that best fit what the Illinois Symphony was looking for to move the organization forward at this time,” said executive director Trevor Orthmann.
Fukumura began as a violinist and has quickly propelled his conducting career, earning second prize in the prestigious 2023 Mahler Competition and earning the Solti Foundation’s Career Assistance Award—four times. He opted to conclude his tenure as assistant conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony after leading more than 100 concerts this year, and plans to make a home base in Chicago.
Orthmann cites Fukumura’s artistic excellence as just one piece of the puzzle. All were most impressed by his dynamism, passion and “ability to connect with the community.”
Fukumura will step on the ISO podium as music director for the first time Oct. 18. Between now and then, there’s an entire season to plan—some of which has already been in the works.
“Last year during those two visits, Trevor and I got to chat quite a bit about how things are going, how the orchestra’s sounding, and also, I got to ask him a lot of questions about the history," Fukumura said. "It’s one thing to read in a spreadsheet and be aware, but it’s really nice to hear what the journey has been. I’m not starting from scratch.”
A programming announcement is expected in August.
“I wish I could talk about it,” Fukumura said. “There are some really special things coming up.”
Day one priorities
An immediate goal is to fill vacancies within the orchestra’s ranks.
“There’s an unusual number of open positions in key places in the orchestra,” Fukumura said.
Among those are titled roles like principal bassoon, following Timothy McGovern’s retirement after 31 years. Fukumura plans to stagger auditions to restock the orchestra strategically and fill out its sub list.
“We’re saying, what are the most urgent positions that are going to affect the quality in the performance of the orchestra the most,” Fukumura said. “We’re focusing on those positions so we can focus on getting the word out. Illinois Symphony is located in a very good place to be able to attract and gather really high-quality musicians to make something special happen here in our community.”
Another key area of need is audience engagement. Ticket sales throughout the 2023-24 season were marginally better than 2022-23—which were marginally better than 2021-22. But attendance has not yet fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
And in the current performing arts paradigm, audience expectations matter more than ever. After two years of uncertainty, Fukumura’s appointment brings continuity of vision and a consistent curatorial voice to the orchestra.
“People need to know what they’re showing up for,” he said. “You can have these visions; you can know where you want things to go—and we’ve had a lot of discussions about where we want the orchestra to go in five or ten years. But it’s those structural or concrete steps that get us there.”
