Hidemaro Konoe, born November 18, 1898, in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, was a conductor and composer. He studied at the Tokyo Music School and made his conducting debut in 1920. Konoe furthered his education in Europe under Vincent d'Indy, Franz Schreker, Erich Kleiber, and Karl Muck. He co-founded the Japan Symphony Orchestra Association in 1925 and established the New Symphony Orchestra (now NHK Symphony Orchestra). Konoe was also noted for his 1930 recording of Mahler's Fourth Symphony, the first electrical recording of all Mahler symphonies. He conducted over 90 orchestras worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic and NBC Symphony Orchestra. Konoe passed away on June 2, 1973.
