Japanese-born conductor Riku Okamoto is the 1st prize winner of the 4th BMI International Conducting Competition (2022/ ROM). He was invited to the final rounds of the 57th International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors (2021/FRA), the finalist of the 2nd Only Stage International Conducting Competition (2022/ GBR), the semi-finalist of the 6th Ionel Perlea International Conducting Competition (2022/ROM),Semi-Finalist of the 1st Erich Bergel Conducting Competition (ROM). Born in Shiga,Japan in 1998. Riku began to study violin at the age of three,he won the 4th prize at the 26th Japan classical music competition. In 2017,he entered the Tokyo College of Music as a Special Scholarship Student (Conducting Bachelor), also he was chosen as a scholar of Toda Scholarship Foundation by Tokyo College of Music from 2017 to 2020. And now he is studying at Jorma Panula Acadamy and Jorma's private lesson. Tacticart Orchestra (Japanese Professional Orchestra) has named Riku Okamoto as its Music Partner starting from April 2024.And Riku was an assistant conductor of the Super Kids Orchestra (Artistic Director Yutaka Sado, belong to the Hyogo Performing Arts Center), Kyoto Junior Orchestra (belong to the City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra). He has conducted orchestras such as the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, Ploiești Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Century Orchestra, Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra, Siamo Orkest,Vaasa City Orchestra. He learnd conducting from Jorma Panula, Junichi Hirokami, Toshifumi Tashiro, Nobutaka Masui, Akihito Mihara, Toshihiro Yonezu. He has participated in conducting masterclasses by Jorma Panula, Boris Belkin, Tsugio Tokunaga, Yasuhiko Shiozawa, Jin Wang, John Axelrod.