Martin Nagashima Toft

The young Japanese-Danish conductor, Martin Nagashima Toft, is educated at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen by Prof. Giancarlo Andretta. Martin Nagashima Toft  received his diploma examination in 2008 with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and his debut in Feburary 2010 is with the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra.

He was awarded a scholarship by Léonie Sonnings Musical Foundation in 2008, which has enabled him to pursue further studies in Vienna with the Orchestra Mozart and in Bologna with Claudio Abbado.

Since the season 2006/2007 he has been connected to the Royal Danish Opera as assisting conductor on selected opera productions including Verdi’s ”Simon Boccanegra” and ”La Traviata”, Carl Nielsen’s ”Maskarade”, Strauss’ ”Der Rosenkavalier”, Donizetti’s ”Lucia di Lammermoor” and Poulenc’s ”Les Dialogues Des Carmélites”. Furthermore, as a part of his studies, he annually conducted the five regional symphony orchestras in Denmark, which lead to professional engagements at Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and The Prins’ Military Band in Skive. In 2007 he had his debut as a conductor in Italy with the Orchestra Filamonia Veneta.

Since 2005 he has regularly been engaged by the Danish National Radio Choirs and Ars Nova Copenhagen to conduct preparatory rehearsals. In September 2005 he conducted the Hotel Pro Forma performance "I only appear to be dead" with the Danish National Radio Chamber Choir in Copenhagen and Berlin. As Choirmaster, he has been engaged by Opera Hedeland and for the season 2009/2010 by the Royal Danish Opera on their production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”.

In 2006 Martin Nagashima Toft won the position as conductor of the Copenhagen chamber choir CAMERATA, with whom he has since performed a substantial repertoire of a cappella works and oratorios, including Mozart’s ”Requiem”, Handel’s ”Messiah” og Bach’s ”St. Matthew Passion”. Together with CAMERATA, he has toured in both Denmark and around the world, recorded several albums, as well as winning the Holmboe Prize in 2008.

(Updated October 2009)