When Sergiu Comissiona arrives in Japan later this month to embark on the final leg of this year's Asian Youth Orchestra tour, it's likely that the baton he always conducts with will feel a little heavier than usual. This year marks the acclaimed Romanian-born conductor's eighth season with the AYO. Sadly, it also marks his last.
"I'm certainly not jumping up and down with happiness at the thought of finishing," said Comissiona, 73.
"I have worked with the AYO with all my heart, and it's a chapter of my life I can never return to. I can't express the joy of relating with these young people and hearing them play. It is like they have injected a huge dose of vitamins into my veins."