Performer: Kazuki Yamada

The guest conductor pairs Holst's perennial crowd pleaser with Poulenc's Gloria, a work deeply associated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Adams, Rachmaninov and Berio are not three easy bedfellows, however Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra pull these strands together remarkably. 

Kazuki Yamada selects a regal Mozart piano concerto and a sprawling Elgar symphony for his Cleveland Orchestra debut.

The sought-after current music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will adopt this new role in Berlin from the 2026–27 season.

Kazuki Yamada, Claire Booth and the Paraorchestra were among the winners announced on Thursday, which also honoured contemporary music record label NMC and Belfast’s Open Arts Community Choir.

Kazuki Yamada’s infectious ebullience has rubbed off in a major way on the Birmingham orchestra, and this season they tackle a fleet of big symphonies: Bruckner’s, Mahler’s and Beethoven’s Ninths.