Ryo Hasegawa, conductor
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Driven by a vision to transform the concert experience, Ryo Hasegawa serves as Assistant Conductor of the Charleston Symphony, Music Director of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra (Indiana), and Founder of Mudita, a multidisciplinary initiative promoting cross-cultural artistic collaboration. Known for his dynamic presence, inventive programming, and ability to connect deeply with musicians and audiences, he is building an active international profile across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Recent highlights include his debut with the Orchestre Métropolitain at Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, selected to conduct by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and serving as Assistant Conductor to his mentor Marin Alsop with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) on its Japan tour. He has appeared internationally with the Hamburg Symphony and Tacet(i) Ensemble in Thailand and has worked with major ensembles including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. He will make his debut with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in 2026.
Since his American conducting debut in 2019 with the Charleston Symphony, Hasegawa has played a vital role in expanding the orchestra’s educational and community engagement initiatives. Under his leadership, the youth orchestra program reached a milestone with its Carnegie Hall debut in February 2025. He has also curated and conducted family concerts and community programs, earning recognition for his engaging approach to audience development.
Equally at home in symphonic and operatic repertoire, Hasegawa has conducted full productions of Hansel and Gretel with Annapolis Opera and Peabody Opera Theater and served as assistant conductor for Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi at the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory.
A committed advocate for contemporary and cross-cultural music, he has led U.S. premieres of works by Japanese composers including Dai Fujikura and Akira Ifukube and premiered new works in Thailand and Japan. As founder of the Inter-Asian Cultural Expo at Johns Hopkins University, he led the award-winning program for three seasons, fostering artistic exchange across communities.
Born in Kanagawa, Japan, Hasegawa returned to music after an early career as a semi-professional motorcycle racer. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Rollins College, where he received the 2022 Alumni Achievement Award.