Toshiyuki Shimada is currently the Music Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra of Yale University, a position that he has held since 2005. Since 1998, he has also served as Principal Conductor of the Vienna Modern Masters, in Austria.  Additionally, he is Music Director and Chief Creative Officer of the Trinity Music Partners, LLC, which holds the worldwide rights to the Vatican Library Music Collection.  He was given the title of Music Director Laureate of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, in Portland, Maine, in recognition for his tenure there as Music Director from 1986 to 2006.  Prior to Portland, he was Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra for six years.

Maestro Shimada has been a frequent guest conductor of European orchestras such as the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra in the Czech Republic, Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic, NÖ Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna, Le Orchestre National de Lille, France, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at the Edinburgh Festival, to name a few.

He has also guest conducted the Houston Symphony, Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, San Jose Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, New York Chamber Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and many other US and Canadian orchestras.

In addition to these activities, he has held the position of Music Director of the Nassau Symphony Orchestra, in New York, Music Director of the Cambiata Soloists, a contemporary music ensemble in Houston, Music Director of the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra at Rice University, and Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles.

Maestro Shimada was fortunate to study with many distinguished conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Herbert Blomstedt, Hans Swarovsky and Michael Tilson Thomas.  Throughout Maestro Shimada's career, he has collaborated with many concert artists, such as Itzhak Perlman, Andre Watts, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Alexander Toradze, Janos Starker, Joshua Bell, Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg, Hilary Hahn, Cho-Liang Lin, Kyoko Takezawa, Sharon Isbin and Doc Severinsen.

Maestro Shimada was a finalist in the 1979 Herbert von Karajan conducting competition in Berlin, and in 1983 held the position of a Fellow Conductor in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute.  He has received many awards and honors including: 2003 Ariel Musician of the Year from Ariel Records; ASCAP award; Portland Fire Department's Merit Award; the Maine Publicity Bureau Cultural Award;  the Italian Heritage Society Cultural Award; Toshiyuki Shimada Day in Houston, TX; Toshiyuki Shimada Week in Portland, Maine; and Toshiyuki Shimada Day in the State of Maine.  In May 2006, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Fine Arts by the Maine College of Arts.

Maestro Shimada is very active in the recording industry, namely with the Vienna Modern Masters label, and with the Moravian Philharmonic.  He has recorded fourteen compact discs.  The newest CD titled "Toshiyuki Shimada Conducts" was issued in January 2007.  He also records for the Keurstand VKJK (Germany), Capstone Records and Albany Records.  His recording of Renaissance, Baroque and Classical works with the Prague Chamber Orchestra and Prague Chamber Singers will soon be released by the Trinity Music Partners, LLC, on the Vatican Music Library Collection label.

In the educational field, he is currently Associate Professor of both the Yale School of Music and Department of Music in Yale University.  In the past, he has taught at the University of Southern Maine and Rice University, and was an Artist Faculty of the Texas Institute of Aesthetic Study.