The 2008-2009 season marks Akiko Fujimoto's first season as the Music Director of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra, and second as the Director of Orchestras at the College of William & Mary and Conducting Associate for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. From 2002-2007, Ms. Fujimoto served as the Music Director of the Mozart Society Orchestra at Harvard University, where her performances have won wide acclaim with audiences and musicians alike. She led the MSO to many milestones in its 25-year history, including collaboration with pianist and Mozart scholar Robert Levin and a master class with conductor Larry Rachleff. In 2006, Ms. Fujimoto performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, as one of the five participants selected to study with Kenneth Kiesler and Pinchas Zukerman in the NAC Conductors Programme. In the summer of 2007, she was also selected to work with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at St. Magnus Festival in Scotland and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at the Summer Conducting Institute at the Eastman School of Music. Native of Japan, Ms. Fujimoto immigrated to California at age 14 and studied the trombone, piano and voice. She holds master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Boston University and a bachelor's degree from Stanford University.