Kimbo Ishii-Eto

Amarillo Symphony Conductor

Chances are you’ve seen Kimbo Ishii-Eto on a billboard around town advertising the Amarillo Symphony. You’ll recognize him by his enthusiasm and energy because it nearly leaps off the poster.

To say Kimbo grew up playing the violin and piano is like saying Babe Ruth played a little baseball. Kimbo’s passion for music began at 10 years old when his mother took him to hear Itzhak Perlman, a violin virtuoso, in Tokyo. That was all it took, and from then on, violin, and later the piano, was his life.

“Perlman had polio as a child and could play like that sitting down. I just couldn’t believe it,” says Kimbo. “I knew then that I didn’t want to be a doctor or businessman.”

Thus began years of training, hours of playing everyday and passing up family vacations around Europe because that meant time away from his violin. His mother moved the family to Vienna when he was 12, which put him in the epicenter of musicology. He went to high school and college at the same time, which put him in a position to graduate early and begin his intensive studies abroad. He moved to New York City at 19 years old to attend Mannes College of Music.

“That was the first time I lived alone,” he recalls. “I went there with lots of hope but realized there were so many of me.”

Kimbo went on to Juilliard a year later, where he studied under Dorothy DeLay, the instructor who also taught Itzhak Perlman. From every angle, it looked like Kimbo’s future would play out on stage.

Then, in 1988, at 21 years old, the musician developed a neurological disorder in his left hand called focal dystonia, leaving him unable to play his violin.

“I was so disappointed because I had devoted so much of my time and life to playing. I was very worried and my teacher at Juilliard suggested I consider conducting,” Kimbo laughs. “I thought conducting was a job for losers, but that’s how I felt then. I was very young.”

Despite his hindered left hand, Kimbo graduated Juilliard with a violin major playing with only three fingers. He took a year off and then returned to Mannes to study music theory. He acquired a Masters in Conducting and went on to be a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. That is where Kimbo conducted an orchestra for the first time.

“My whole heart was popping out of my throat. I couldn’t hold my feet on the podium for the last four bars,” he says. “I was so happy when it was over.”

It was also in 1993 when Kimbo met his wife, Faye. The two met at Mannes where she studied the viola. They married in 1999 and have one daughter, Anmei.

While holding various music director positions in the States, Kimbo also held secondary positions overseas as a Principal Conductor. Between 1993 and 2008, Kimbo conducted seasonally with the China Broadcast Symphony Orchestra, the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, and the Komische Oper in Berlin.

It was when he was the Music Director for the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca, New York, in 2006 that Kimbo heard about the director’s position opening in Amarillo. He read in a magazine about the plans for the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts and immediately asked his agent to apply on his behalf.

“A community craving for arts is a good sign,” he says.

The process of selecting a conductor and music director began with more than 200 candidates. Kimbo was one of four finalists who were each asked to guest conduct as part of the selection process. All 13 of the selection committee members agreed that Kimbo was the right choice. It was officially announced in February 2007.

“This is very much home,” he says. “My wife takes our daughter to Taiwan every summer while I’m traveling, but even when I come back here to unpack and repack my bags, it still feels like home.”

Kimbo is already rough-drafting the 2011-2012 season and hopes to continue building the positive, respectable reputation of the Amarillo Symphony.

Quick Glance
1979-86: State Conservatory, Vienna, Austria
1987-91: The Juilliard School of Music, New York City
1994-96: Mannes College of Music
1993 & 1995: Fellow at Tanglewood Music Festival
1993-97: Principal Guest Conductor, China Broadcast Symphony Orchestra
1994-99: Principal Conductor, New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra
1996-2000: Music Director, Gemini Youth Orchestra
1999-2007: Music Director, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra
2006-08: Principal Conductor, Komische Oper Berlin
2007-present: Music Director & Conductor, Amarillo Symphony

When I get in my car, the first thing I listen to is… Absolutely nothing!

My friends and family call me… Kimbo.

My favorite meal to make from scratch is…Chinese-Italian fusion. How does it taste? Depends.

In an alternate life, I would’ve been a… TV producer or hairstylist.

The most famous or interesting person I’ve ever met is…Sir Simon Rattle, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.

If I had an open plane ticket to anywhere, I would go to… Bali, Indonesia.

After a long, hard day, I love to…sit on the sofa and watch TV – most likely HGTV or Food Network.

One of my favorite childhood toys was…racing kits (with circuit lanes).

One movie I could watch over and over again is…“Once Upon a Time in America.”

If I were a character in a book, I would be…Detective Hercule Poirot.

The greatest piece of advice I’ve ever received is…when my grandpa once told me: “Relax! Your best is way better than anyone else out there. This is why you can take as much time to reach your own best!”

When my children grow up, the one thing I want them to always remember is…how much we love them forever.

You may be surprised to know that I…used to weigh more than 200 pounds when I was in my mid-20s.

One habit I wish I could break is…eating too fast.

My guilty pleasure is…having sweets and snacks after midnight.

I know every word to the song…“The Star-Spangled Banner.”

If I had the time, I would…live in France or Italy for several months to appreciate their culture and food.

My favorite bad-for-me-food is…chicken-fried steak, of course!

When I get online, I always go to…my own Yahoo page that shows all the updated news and e-mails.

The most unique place I’ve ever traveled to is… Bodo, Norway, in the summer – the sun was up 24/7.

The thing I love the most about living in Amarillo is…the friendly people and feeling so safe and comfortable raising my family.

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