Breaking news: Rei Hotoda signs a four-year contract extension
By Donald Munro
Rei Hotoda will be with us for another four years. (At least.)
The Fresno Philharmonic is extending Hotoda’s contract as music director and conductor through the 2028-29 season. She began her tenure in the 2017-28 season. By the time 2029 rolls around, she will have been in the post for 12 years, thus making her a seasoned veteran among the ranks of the nation’s music directors.
Pictured above: Rei Hotoda photographed by Aleksandr J. Karjaka
The orchestra’s management on Tuesday pointed to highlights of Hotoda’s tenure, including commissioning or co-commissioning six new works, programming and conducting over 25 pieces by living composers, and launching Cultural Crossroads, the multi-season initiative celebrating the Central Valley’s cultural diversity.
My take: This is great news. Honestly, I’d been a little nervous as it came time to renew Hotoda’s contract — I figured some big-city orchestra might swoop in and snatch her up. Over the years, Hotoda’s list of accomplishments and national stature has grown. She was recently asked to join the board of the League of American Orchestras and was featured in a story I wrote for Symphony magazine about her innovative involvement in the first Cultural Crossroads event, a community-enriched concert based on the works of Mas Masumoto and the experiences of Japanese-American immigrants.
She’s expanded her professional horizons as well. She made her Carnegie Hall debut conducting the American Composers Orchestra and has done many guest conductor appearances, including in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Winnipeg, Kansas City and San Diego.
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Her impact on Fresno has been substantial. To me, she has forged a personal relationship with audiences. I pick up on this when I talk to people: They feel like they know her. (Often, when I introduce myself to audience members and tell them that I write about the orchestra, the first thing people say is: “Isn’t Rei great?”)
She has succeeded in guiding Fresno classical music fans on ear-opening journeys as she introduces contemporary composers and sometimes challenging pieces in compelling ways, rather than making such fare something to sit through and endure. Her love of music, her outstanding conducting, and her wholehearted embrace of Fresno is absolutely clear from the podium.
Congratulations, Rei, on four more years. And congratulations, Fresno, for keeping her.
Upcoming season: The Fresno Philharmonic’s 71st season begins in September 2025 with the California premiere of a new work by Juan Pablo Contreras, “Alma Monarca,” which was co-commissioned by the Fresno Philharmonic. This is the latest in the Fresno Philharmonic’s Cultural Crossroads commissions highlighting the diverse cultures of California’s Central Valley.
For full details on the Fresno Philharmonic’s 2025-2026 season, visit fresnophil.org.
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