Symphony San Jose Names Inaugural Artistic Partners

As Symphony San Jose prepares to open its 25th anniversary season this October, it is announcing the inaugural class of Artistic Partners, a new initiative designed to deepen artistic consistency and creative vision for the orchestra, which operates without a resident music director. The inaugural partners are conductors Nathan Aspinall and Tatsuya Shimono, and pianist Jon Nakamatsu.

Over the coming seasons, the Artistic Partners will work closely with Executive Artistic Director Robert Massey and the Symphony's Artistic Committee to help shape the orchestra's programming, artistic identity, and sound. The initiative reflects Symphony San Jose's commitment to its distinctive collaborative model — one that draws on the perspectives of multiple trusted artistic voices rather than a single music director — while building long-term relationships that allow for greater depth and continuity in artistic planning.

“Symphony San Jose has always believed that great orchestras aren't built around a single name at the podium — they're built around relationships. Nathan, Tatsuya, and Jon are three artists we already trust deeply, and this partnership lets us go further with them: shaping programs together, taking real artistic risks, and building something with a distinct identity over time. This is exactly the kind of collaborative model we set out to prove could work, and I couldn't be more excited about where it takes us.” — Robert Massey, Executive Artistic Director

Each of the inaugural Artistic Partners brings a distinct artistic voice to the collaboration:

• Nathan Aspinall first conducted Symphony San Jose in 2023 and has quickly become a favorite of both the audience and the Symphony's musicians. An Australian who has served as Resident Conductor of the Nashville Symphony and Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Aspinall has conducted orchestras worldwide, including the Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
• Tatsuya Shimono is an acclaimed Japanese conductor who gained international prominence after winning the Tokyo International Music Competition in 2000 and the Besancon International Conducting Competition in 2001. He currently serves as permanent conductor of the prestigious NHK Symphony Orchestra alongside several major principal guest and music director roles. Shimono first conducted Symphony San Jose in 2013.
• Jon Nakamatsu rose to stardom after winning the Gold Medal at the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Nakamatsu holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University, is a former high school German teacher, and continues to make his home in the South Bay. Nakamatsu has performed with Symphony San Jose since 2006, having made more than 15 appearances with the ensemble.

The Artistic Partners will appear with Symphony San Jose across multiple productions throughout the 2026/2027 season and beyond, contributing to programming decisions, artistic direction, and the orchestra's continued growth.

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