Hiroyuki Iwaki

(6 September 1932 – 13 June 2006) was a Japanese conductor and percussionist.

Iwaki was born in Tokyo. He made his conducting debut with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 1956, and was later made a permanent guest conductor of that orchestra. He first conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) on a 1973 Australian tour, and was Chief Conductor of the MSO for a record term of 15 years (1974-89), during which time he took the orchestra on two tours of Japan. In 1990 he was appointed the orchestra's Conductor Laureate.

He died in Japan.

Honours

*For his contribution to Australian musical life, he was appointed an honorary Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in 1985, which was later upgraded to Officer status (AO).
*Monash University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1986, and in 1991 appointed him their first Fellow of the Faculty of Arts.
*In 1990 he was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.
*In 1995 the ABC named its Southbank studio in Melbourne the "Iwaki Auditorium".
*Japan awarded him the medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon in 1996.

References

* [http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-06-13-Iwaki_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA "USA Today", "Japanese conductor Hiroyuki Iwaki dies at 73" 13 June 2006]
*

Persondata
NAME=Iwaki, Hiroyuki
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Conductor, percussionist
DATE OF BIRTH=6 September 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH=Tokyo, Japan
DATE OF DEATH=13 June 2006
PLACE OF DEATH=Japan