It is common for Japanese classical musicians to study in Europe, but Hisayoshi Inoue is a rarity. With only a diploma from a public junior high school, Inoue journeyed to Vienna in 1979, at age 16, to pursue his piano studies, and ended up staying there 24 years.
Inoue, who eventually switched to conducting, is now back in Tokyo with a new dream. Last year, he launched the Japan Sinfonia to realize his simple but difficult-to-attain ideal: to offer the best possible music to audiences.
Inoue says that as musical director and conductor of the newly founded orchestra, which has 45 regular members, he wants to raise the bar for orchestras here. Orchestras in Tokyo tend to focus on the money and lose sight of the music, he says.