About Ryo

An up-and-coming young conductor and versatile arts advocate, Ryo Hasegawa currently serves as the Music Director of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra (Indiana), the Conductor of the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Chair & Founder of Mudita Corporation. Under the mentorship of the world-renowned conductor, Marin Alsop, Hasegawa has performed at numerous concerts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia and launched several projects to promote interdisciplinary collaborations and advocate diversity in music and art education. 

Most recently, Hasegawa made his debut with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montreal at Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, where he was chosen to conduct at the concert by Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In 2023, Hasegawa was named the David Efron Conducting Fellow at Chautauqua Institution and led the Music School Festival Orchestra in the multiple concerts at the Chautauqua Amphitheater. Other recent highlights include international guest conducting debut with the Hamburg Symphony in Germany and the Tacet(i) Ensemble in Thailand. He is also an active guest assistant conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Washington Choral Arts, American Composers Orchestra, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. Hasegawa worked both as a conductor and as an assistant with esteemed artists, such as Marin Alsop, Eric Jacobsen, Ken Lam, Joseph Young, Anna Clyne, Conrad Tao, and Westerlies.

Hasegawa made his American debut with the Charleston Symphony in 2019. He maintains a strong relationship with the symphony since then and is currently serving as the conductor of the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra, which will make a Carnegie Hall debut in 2024-205 season under Hasegawa’s baton. Past engagements include guest conducting members of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra for their Focus series, guest conducting Molodechno Symphony (Belarus), PHASE ensemble (Austria), and Shamisen Ensemble Otoha (Japan).

Equally at home in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Hasegawa conducted the full production of Hansel and Gretel at Annapolis Opera and Peabody Opera Theater in three cities, Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington D.C. He was also an assistant conductor for the production of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi at Chautauqua Opera Conservatory.