Energetic, eloquent, and engaging on the podium, it turns out that maestro Taichi Fukumura is equally insightful and thoughtful in conversation, without his baton and 100 musicians to help get his message across. We caught up recently with the former Merit faculty member, where he shared fond memories of Merit, its students, advice to young musicians, and excitement about his latest appointment.
For four academic years (fall 2018–spring 2022) Merit was fortunate to have Maestro Fukumura as Director of Orchestras in the Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory program. In that time, he mentored and inspired hundreds of young musicians, leading dozens of exciting concerts and elevating the Merit Philharmonic to a new level of ensemble cohesion, precision, and musicality.
Now, after two years as Assistant Conductor under Music Director Robert Spano at the Ft. Worth Symphony, he is currently the Music Director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and has just been named Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, indisputably among the top five orchestras in the U.S.
Here are some highlights of our conversation:
What is a favorite memory from your time as orchestra director at Merit?
A thing that I loved is that a lot of the kids were engaged with what we were doing beyond just the rehearsals. Some of them would come up to me and ask questions during breaks, or after rehearsal. Some would still be working on the music together, in little groups of friends. Sometimes I would walk into rehearsal and, spontaneously, the whole ensemble was playing the music on their own. That kind of excitement and engagement from the kids is really memorable; that’s a really cool thing.
Well, congratulations on your latest success, the appointment as Assistant Conductor for The Cleveland Orchestra! How did that happen?
It came totally out of the blue. I just got a phone call one day. It was an invitation-only audition. Somehow they knew about me, and they knew about the Illinois Symphony. They even said, “We know you’re already directing another group, but we’re wondering if you would be interested, and if so, would you come into the audition?”
When I did the audition, I’d never heard The Cleveland Orchestra live, I’d never been in Severance Hall (now Severance Music Center). It all happened for the first time when I walked in to conduct them. Truly an honor. Really, an incredible experience.
And what did you conduct as your audition?
There were two pieces: One was Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, number 38, first movement, and the other was Frank Bridge, The Sea, first movement. That’s an unusual one. I didn’t know that one already. I knew it existed, but I had never studied it. I bought the score for the audition.
What are your favorite composers to perform?
That’s a tricky one. I mean, Mozart’s up there, I love to do Mozart. Stravinsky is up there. Dvorak is up there. Those are three very different time periods and styles, but I keep coming back to those three.
So, tell us, what do you love about conducting?
First of all, I grew up with music, playing violin since age three. And part of that was growing up in youth orchestras. I used to tell my students at Merit, “I grew up in a community very much like this, you know, friends who all love music, making music together.” And that’s something I love about orchestra because first of all, the music is fantastic. The repertoire is amazing, but it also brings people together.
As a violinist, I was always fascinated by how conductors affect me as a musician. Just from a little gesture, body language, or even a few quick words in rehearsal, a conductor can dramatically change my interpretation of a piece. And growing up, I thought that process was really interesting. I was staring at every conductor like a hawk because I used to try to memorize my music and really figure out what was happening in the communication with the ensemble. So, long before I ever thought about a career, I was interested in the whole process of how an orchestra comes together.
“Right from my first steps, I was already learning to build community through leading an ensemble.”
When did you start thinking about conducting?
I started conducting as a high schooler. When I was 16, our high school orchestra director was retiring, and he was a beloved teacher that we all wanted to do something special for. We put together our own group for a surprise orchestral performance.
That was the beginning of a group I continued to conduct for two years. We played in local hospitals and at “Asian Culture Night.” We played in the cafeteria. We did student compositions. Right from my first steps, I was already learning to build community through leading an ensemble.
Your career is moving into a whole new, exciting phase. What’s brought that about? To what do you attribute the success at this juncture?
I think the biggest thing is how lucky I’ve always been with really generous mentors.
Can you talk about that a little more?
It stretches back to kindergarten, actually. I struggled with selective mutism, and I had an ESL teacher (English as a Second Language) who really believed in me and said, “Hey, there’s a really creative kid in there.” She helped organize my first musical performance ever on the violin for my classmates.
From then on, I became a musician. I was known by everybody at my school growing up as the musician. So truly, that teacher, that moment, changed my life. Music impacted my life, and I found my voice through it. I had some fantastic teachers—violin teachers in Boston, and at BU, conducting teachers. I went to Northwestern for my master’s and my Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in conducting and studied with Victor Yampolsky. I had a fellowship with Chicago Sinfonietta with Mai-Ann Chen, who was an incredibly passionate teacher. She was very, very adamant about nurturing and raising conductors of many different backgrounds, because there weren’t always equal opportunities to enter the professional field. And all that was happening while I taught at Merit, I also worked with the Chicago Philharmonic, and started the Northwestern Medical Orchestra.
At the Fort Worth Symphony, I got to work with the music director there, Robert Spano. His philosophy was: while you’re an assistant conductor, you need to learn everything there is about being a music director. He’s truly been a life changing mentor—and still is now.
Tell us what it was like to be at Merit and to teach those students and be a mentor yourself.
It was so much fun! One of the things that stood out during the pandemic was how quickly Merit pivoted and provided a community for our students. It was a really good place to stay connected. Conducting our students at Merit was one of my first musical experiences coming back from the pandemic. I will never forget that.
And also our video project in the very first few months of the lockdown, when we made a message of hope from the kids to the essential workers with the music of “Jupiter” [from The Planets by Holst]. That was such a special experience, and it still holds a really special place in my heart.
But, the students at Merit: there’s such a wonderful community, a supportive community of growth and learning. I’m really glad Merit exists, and I think it’s doing something truly special.
What advice do you have for students as they pursue their own musical performance dreams and aspirations?
I often say: stay curious.
Make sure you keep asking questions. If you’re currently a student and have a teacher, remember that one day you won’t have that luxury. Don’t take for granted the fact that you have somebody guiding you. Look at yourself and make sure you’re not just following instructions, because that doesn’t go as far as if you stay curious, proactively asking questions, either of your teacher or even yourself. “What am I doing? Why am I doing it?”
I think one of the traps in being a music student is mindless routine. Of course, it’s really important to practice regularly, practice consistently. Those are still important. But practicing smart goes much, much further, and that is where you take a step away from what you’re doing and say, “Why am I doing this? What am I trying to achieve? How can I make sure I’m doing the best possible thing now to get there.”
“There's such a wonderful community, a supportive community of growth and learning. I'm really glad Merit exists, and I think it's doing something truly special.”
If you could leave a final message to Merit students, what would it be?
I think just underlining what I said earlier: Stay curious, keep exploring, keep having fun.
To learn more about Taichi Fukumura and his exciting career, visit https://www.taichifukumura.com/about.
