“If you come to a SoNA concert, you are already my friend.”
— Akiko Fujimoto
About the Show
In this episode of I Am Northwest Arkansas®, host Randy Wilburn sits down with the new music director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA), Akiko Fujimoto. Recorded at the Fayetteville Public Library just days into her tenure, the conversation traces her path from a psychology major quietly taking music classes to a mid-career conductor who has worked across the country, including as associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. After years of visiting the region from her home in Conway, she explains why she made a beeline for the SoNA job and why she wants the orchestra to be the symphony of all of Northwest Arkansas, not just Fayetteville. Her approach starts from a simple idea: she thinks of herself as one of the listeners.
Akiko walks through her first season, which she calls her giant love letter to the region. It opens with celebratory dance music that builds to Stravinsky’s The Firebird, centers on Beethoven’s 5th in February, and closes in April with a nature program featuring Respighi’s The Pines of Rome, The Lark Ascending, Wagner’s Forest Murmurs, and a work by Arkansas-born composer William Grant Still. She also shares how becoming a Faulkner County Master Gardener shaped the way she “landscapes” a season, her hope to take the full orchestra to cities across the region, and her interest in partnering with the local health community on music and mental health. Whether you’re a longtime subscriber or have never set foot in a concert hall, this episode is your invitation.
Key Takeaways
- An Accidental Beginning: A high school choir teacher who handed Akiko her rehearsals first planted the idea of conducting, and she didn’t even know it was a job until college.
- A Symphony for the Whole Region: SoNA Beyond and SoNA Mentors already send musicians into schools across the region; Akiko’s dream is to bring the full orchestra to each city, with programs tailored to local venues.
- Programming as Landscaping: Like a landscaper reading the climate, the sun, and the client, she matches the region, the orchestra, and the audience against a growing database of repertoire to build a balanced season.
- Music and Wellness: Drawing on her psychology background and Renée Fleming’s anthology Music and Mind, she wants to explore how SoNA can support mental health across Northwest Arkansas.
- Nature Takes the Stage: The April 2027 season finale is her ode to the Natural State, timed as a prelude to Earth Day.
- Beethoven as Common Ground: She chose Beethoven’s 5th for February partly as a way for her and the orchestra to build their relationship.
- Everyone Is Welcome: Pre-concert talks and introductions from the stage give first-timers a roadmap, so the symphony feels welcoming rather than stuffy.
All this and more on this episode of the I Am Northwest Arkansas® podcast.
Important Links and Mentions on the Show
- Akiko Fujimoto Website: https://akikofujimoto.com/
- Akiko Fujimoto on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akikoconductor/
- Akiko Fujimoto on X (Twitter): https://x.com/akikoconductor
- Akiko Fujimoto on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akikoconductor/
- Akiko Fujimoto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akiko-fujimoto-a638886b/
- Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) Website: https://www.sonamusic.org/
- SoNA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/symphonynwa/
- SoNA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonafan/
- SoNA on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBwfkP-DovwhXqUzceEXssg
- SoNA 2026-27 MainStage Season Tickets: https://www.sonamusic.org/ticketed-performances
- Walton Arts Center: https://waltonartscenter.org/
- Fayetteville Public Library: https://www.faylib.org/
- FPL Center for Innovation: https://www.faylib.org/innovation
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: https://crystalbridges.org/
- Alice L. Walton School of Medicine: https://www.alwmedschool.org/
- Heartland Whole Health Institute: https://www.heartlandwholehealth.org/
- TheatreSquared: https://www.theatre2.org/
- Mid-Texas Symphony: https://mtsymphony.org/
- Faulkner County Master Gardeners: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/counties/faulkner/faulkner-county-master-gardener.aspx
- Music and Mind by Renée Fleming: https://reneefleming.com/advocacy/music-and-the-mind/
- Bryce Canyon National Park: https://www.nps.gov/brca/
- IANWA Episode 37 with SoNA Conductor Paul Haas: https://iamnorthwestarkansas.com/episode-33-sona-conductor-paul-haas-is-leading-65-years-of-symphonic-excellence-in-the-ozarks/
- IANWA Episode 40: An Insider’s Look at SoNA: https://iamnorthwestarkansas.com/episode-40-65-years-of-symphonic-excellence-an-insiders-look-at-sona/
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