Rei Hotoda

Conductor Rei Hotoda has been hailed as an inexhaustible dynamo with a deep commitment to reimagining the 21st century concert experience. Currently Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic, her vision can be seen through her thought-provoking programming, passionate allyship to marginalized artists, advocacy for arts education, and an unwavering commitment to presenting many of today’s leading composers alongside masterworks of the classical repertoire.

As a champion of today’s living composers and an artist dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices, Rei’s innovative programming and interdisciplinary collaborations continue to position her as a leader in the industry. Across nearly every concert in 2023/24, Rei has made it her mission to program works by Black, Indigenous, or women composers, including her upcoming debuts with London Symphonia, the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony.

One of the most sought-after conductors of her generation, she has guest conducted prestigious ensembles, including the symphony orchestras of Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Toronto, Louisville, Winnipeg, and Utah, among others. 

At the Fresno Philharmonic, Rei continues to lead and design programs that reflect the rich diversity of the community while highlighting the stellar artistry of the musicians in the ensemble. This season, Rei and the FPO explore and celebrate the remarkable two-way street between Jazz and western classical music, entitled “Jazzing it Up”.

As an active and critically acclaimed keyboardist, Rei embraces her time conducting from the piano and harpsichord. In 2023/24, in addition to her season-opening performance leading the Fresno Philharmonic from the keyboard in Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos, she will also perform Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds for Piano and String Orchestra as soloist with the Kamuela Philharmonic.
 
Rei’s deep knowledge and remarkable versatility on and off the podium have led to several collaborations and special projects. She has worked with tabla master Sandeep Das; pipa player Wu Man; violinists Jennifer Koh and Chee Yun; pianists Laura Downes, Awadagin Pratt, Orion Weiss, and Joyce Yang; guitarist Pablo Villegas; ensembles such as Time for Three, Indigo Girls, Steep Canyon Rangers and Pink Martini; singers Damien Geter, Jessica Rivera, Idina Menzel, Michael Feinstein and Ben Folds, among many others.
 
Rei is the proud recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2006 Taki-Alsop Conducting Fellowship, created by Marin Alsop to mentor women conductors. Her teachers and mentors include Gustav Meier, Marin Alsop, Jaap van Zweden and Thierry Fischer.