is a Japanese

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

. Born in

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

, Japan, Nakahara is the music director and conductor at the South Carolina Philharmonic, and resident conductor of the Spokane Symphony. Nakahara received a Master of Music degree in instrumental conducting from the

University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, where he studied with Rodney Winther. In 1998 he received a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from

Andrews University Andrews University (Andrews) is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flag ...

. He has done additional conducting studies with Larry Rachleff, Mark Gibson, Jerry Junkin, and Alan Mitchell. Nakahara was featured in the American Symphony Orchestra League's National Conductor Preview in March 2005. An advocate of new music, Nakahara has collaborated with notable contemporary composers as

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

Michael Torke Michael Torke (; born September 22, 1961) is an American composer who writes music influenced by jazz and minimalism. Torke was born in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Wilson Elementary School, graduated from Wauwatosa East High ...

Augusta Read Thomas Augusta Read Thomas (born April 24, 1964) is an American composer and University Professor of Composition in the Department of Music at the University of Chicago, where she is also director of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition. B ...

Azio Corghi Azio Corghi (9 March 1937 – 17 November 2022) was an Italian composer, academic teacher and musicologist. He composed mostly operas and chamber music. His operas are often based on literature, especially in collaboration with José Saramago a ...

, Menachem Zur, and Yasuhide Ito. Nakahara regularly appears on the Masterworks, Pops, and Sunset Symphony series and was appointed as artistic director of educational and outreach concerts with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has been a clinician, guest conductor, and speaker at various educational institutions throughout the Inland Northwest. Nakahara was formerly music director and conductor of the Holland Symphony Orchestra in Holland, Michigan. The 2006–2007 season marked his last season with the Holland Symphony Orchestra. In the 2006–07 season, Nakahara held the

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a Germany, German-born Conducting, conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French people, French cit ...

Associate Conductor Chair. Nakahara is one of two chosen for this award. In April 2008, Nakahara was named the music director of the South Carolina Philharmonic, based in Columbia. His appointment took effect with the 2008–2009 season. In 2017, Nakahara was named assistant professor and director of Orchestral Studies at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

Department of Music, where he leads the UMass Symphony Orchestra.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakahara, Morihiko 1975 births 21st-century Japanese conductors (music) Andrews University alumni Japanese male conductors (music) Living people Musicians from Kagoshima Prefecture People from Kagoshima Prefecture University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni