Kazuki Yamada has been appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO), beginning with the 2026/27 season. He will assume the role for an initial term of three years, taking over from Robin Ticciati, who stepped down in 2024.

Yamada, currently Chief Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, impressed the DSO during appearances in 2023. His appointment has been welcomed by the orchestra and ROC leadership, who praised his artistic energy and wide-ranging appeal. Yamada becomes the eighth conductor to hold the post since the orchestra’s founding in 1946.

Yamada reflects on the appointment: 'I am filled with great joy and deep gratitude to be appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. For a Japanese conductor to take on a leading musical role in Berlin is still a rarity – and personally very meaningful to me. I had the pleasure of working with the orchestra in April and September of last year and felt a truly special chemistry. I now look forward to our shared journey with great anticipation. I am confident that we will create something truly remarkable'