Born in Tokyo in 1962, Sachio Fujioka currently holds the position of Principal Conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka. Fujioka was Assistant Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra between 1992 and 1995. Following his very successful debut with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo in May 1995, he was appointed a regular guest conductor and now returns to work with the Orchestra on a number of occasions each season. Following his debut with the BBC Philharmonic in November 1993, Sachio Fujioka has appeared with the Orchestra on many occasions including his debut at the BBC Proms in London and he has also made a number of recordings with this Orchestra for Chandos Records. Between 1995 and 2000 Sachio Fujioka was Principal Conductor of the Manchester Camerata and during the 1998/99 season he and the Orchestra undertook a highly successful tour of Japan including appearances at Suntory Hall, Tokyo. In 2001, Sachio Fujioka was appointed Principal Conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka.

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"Fujioka was very much the right man for the job, his clear-cut unambiguous body language coaxing a splendidly committed response from his forces."

West Australian, Perth, 11 October 2004

"As for the Pathetique, (…) it was a hugely colourful, generously motivated account, … glowing with evidence of the young Japanese conductor’s affinity with its unhappy composer."

The Times

"In Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes … the NZSO was resplendent in intense sound evoking the sea in all its turbulent moods, underpinning the anguish in the character of Grimes. Seldom has a storm sounded so brutal and awe-inspiring! A tremendous, furiously paced performance under Fujioka… all undeniably exciting and I hope he returns soon. "

Capital Times, Wellington, October 2004

" Fujioka proved an exemplary protagonist of Mahler’s wishes, unfolding the finale’s wide variety of nuance and dynamics."

Bournemouth Evening Echo

"Sachio Fujioka conducted a sterling performance. [...] He controlled the ensembles skilfully, too, and could have brought any house down with the Act 3 finale"

Manchester Evening News

"One of the most rewarding features of Fujioka’s direction of the symphony was his ability to convey the developing tension and excitement of the score while avoiding any temptation to lapse into over-coloured vulgarity. In this crucial sense, Fujioka could hardly be faulted; he had his finger unerringly on the emotional pulse of the music [and] there was much to admire in the quality of the WASO strings from whom Fujioka coaxed a pleasing linear clarity and tonal sheen [...] leading the attack on the podium and taking his instrumental troops along with him in a performance of triumphant quality."

The West Australian, June 2003