Kensho Watanabe is fast becoming one of the most exciting and versatile young American conductors to emerge on the international stage. The recipient of a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S., he served as assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 2016 to 2019, making his critically acclaimed subscription-season debut with the orchestra and pianist Daniil Trifonov. Mr. Watanabe debuted this season with the London Philharmonic, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Tokyo Philharmonic, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Equally at home in the symphonic and operatic repertoire, he has led numerous opera performances for the Curtis Opera Theatre, including Puccini’s La bohème and La rondine, as well as Tchaikovsky’s rarely performed Iolanta. Mr. Watanabe will make his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2021 when he takes the podium for Jake Heggie’s masterpiece, Dead Man Walking.