Kentaro Machida is a Japanese conductor and the winner of the 7th International Athens Conducting Competition. Known for his nuanced interpretations and dynamic engagement with musicians, Kentaro approaches both core and contemporary repertoire with analytical insight and imagination, bringing freshness and originality to every performance. Since 2026 he has been a scholarship recipient of Forum Dirigieren, the Deutscher Musikrat’s national development programme for exceptional young conductors.

In 2025 he was selected as one of five conductors internationally by Maestro Riccardo Muti for the Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo, where he participated in masterclasses and conducted Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra in concert. He has also conducted the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt (Oder), Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Hebrides Ensemble, and the Scottish Opera orchestra, among others. He has additionally served as assistant to conductors such as Michael Schønwandt, Vassily Sinaisky, Catherine Larsen-Maguire, Michael Seal, Patrick Gallois, Michalis Economou, and Natalia Luis-Bassa.

Kentaro completed his master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, studying with Martyn Brabbins and Michael Bawtree, and previously with Roland Melia. He has also received tuition from Riccardo Muti, Johannes Schlaefli, Nicolás Pasquet, Alexander Polishchuk, Antony Hermus, Stuart Stratford, Michalis Economou, Ryan Bancroft, Sian Edwards, James Lowe, Thomas Søndergård, and John Wilson. He is currently studying in the Advanced Professional Training Programme at the Universität der Künste Berlin, working with orchestras and ensembles across Germany and Europe under the mentorship of Harry Curtis and Steven Sloane.

A first-class graduate in music from the University of Oxford, he was Senior Organ Scholar at Merton College, accompanying the college’s acclaimed mixed-voice choir in chapel services, BBC broadcasts, award-winning recordings, and international tours across the UK, Europe, and the USA. He achieved the highest mark of his cohort in solo performance and is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. He continues to be invited for recitals in the UK and abroad.