Hajime Konoye

Japanese-born Hajime Konoye was principal bassoonist in the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic from August 2005 to August 2013. Since August 2013 he has held this position with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hajime studied at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo from 1980 to 1984. After his studies he was appointed principal bassoonist of the New Japan Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa. From 1988 to 1990 he studied in Amsterdam and New York. He was enabled to do so by a scholarship from the Japanese government.

In 1991, he returned to the Netherlands to continue his musical career with the then Radio Kamerorkest. As a soloist, he performed works by J.S. Bach, Haydn, Pleyel, Mozart, Richard Strauss and Martin. In 2004, for instance, he played the Bassoon concerto by Mozart as a soloist during the Robeco Summer Concert in the Concertgebouw.