Who Leads the Longwood Symphony Orchestra?

Updated

The Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is led by Music Director Jotaro Nakano, with Hannah Collins serving as Executive Director and Miguel Petris as Operations Manager. Together, this team shapes the orchestra's concert seasons and day-to-day operations. The information below comes from the orchestra's own announcements on longwoodsymphony.org.

Music Director: Jotaro Nakano

Jotaro Nakano is the orchestra's Music Director and conducts its main concert programs. The LSO announced its 2026–27 season with Nakano at the podium, and he is listed as Music Director for every concert in that season, including:

  • Oct 17, 2026 — "City Alive" (Rossini, Larrea, Gershwin)
  • Dec 5, 2026 — "Moonlit Dreams" (Massenet, Berlioz, Brouwer, Ravel)
  • Mar 20, 2027 — "In Loving Memory" (Mazzoli, Mahler, Brahms)
  • May 8, 2027 — "Limitless" (Leahy, Mozart, Beethoven)
  • May 16, 2027 — Longwood Symphony at Tanglewood (Arts in Health Symposium & Concert)

Nakano also communicates directly with the orchestra's audience: the site features a year-end message from him dated December 22, 2025, and a season announcement dated August 31, 2026.

Executive Director: Hannah Collins

Hannah Collins was named Executive Director of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, according to an announcement dated December 20, 2024. As Executive Director, she leads the organization's administration, complementing the Music Director's artistic role.

Operations Manager: Miguel Petris

Miguel Petris was named Operations Manager, per an announcement dated December 1, 2025. The orchestra had previously posted an Operations Manager job opening on October 2, 2025, indicating this is a dedicated operations role within the organization.

How the Leadership Roles Divide

Role Person Primary responsibility
Music Director Jotaro Nakano Conducting concerts, artistic programming, season planning
Executive Director Hannah Collins Organizational leadership and administration
Operations Manager Miguel Petris Day-to-day operations

What This Means If You're Following the Orchestra

  • For concert programming and artistic direction, Jotaro Nakano is the relevant figure — he conducts each listed performance and announces the seasons.
  • For organizational or administrative matters, Hannah Collins is the Executive Director.
  • For operational questions, Miguel Petris holds the Operations Manager position.

The LSO's stated mission is "healing the community through music," and each concert in the announced seasons names a benefiting organization — for example, Tunefoolery Music (Oct 17, 2026), Children's Dyslexia Centers, Inc. (Dec 5, 2026), Care Dimensions (Mar 20, 2027), and Vinfen (May 8, 2027). Leadership changes and season details are announced through the orchestra's news section on longwoodsymphony.org, so that page is the place to confirm current roles and upcoming programs.