Studies indicate that, among professional musicians — and the population in general — orchestra conductors tend to have long lives. In fact, Dr. Gabe Mirkin, a well-known physician and fitness expert, attributes the heartiness of conductors in large part to the arm movements intrinsic in their profession.

This bodes well for Toshiyuki “Toshi” Shimada, the music director and conductor for New London’s Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. Saturday’s opening of the ECSO’s 2024-25 season marks Shimada’s 15th year at the helm of the vaunted ensemble — and that’s a lot of arm movement.

Shimada’s also gotten plenty of exercise as conductor of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and music director and conductor of the New Britain Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra of Yale University and is also Music Director Laureate of the Portland Symphony Orchestra in Portland, Maine. But he’s particularly proud of and grateful for his long association with the ECSO.

“It feels like the 10th anniversary was just around the corner, and now here we are,” Shimada said by phone Monday. “I think it’s a monumental achievement — not just for myself but for what it says about the musicians and the audience and the board of directors. I feel very lucky and privileged to have had this opportunity. It’s a very fulfilling feeling, particularly since we all went through COVID together and emerged determined to make each season special.”

The enduring quality of a relationship between a conductor and an orchestra goes beyond the rote ability to translate musical notation into impassioned performance; the artists are professionals, after all. But with performance and time comes the comfort of familiarity and the organic development of a distinctive group personality — which is something that becomes tangible to audiences even if it’s not easy to point out in a real-time performance the way one might appreciate a Paganini run or a complex Beethoven cadenza.

“We haven’t had many turnovers in personnel and, yes, we’ve developed what I call a special kind of trust,” Shimada said. “I’m not sure it’s something that can happen over just five or seven years. With this group, I feel comfortable and confident that if I program something, they’ll respond and perform excellently. I feel that same trust and confidence back and that’s a very nice feeling.”

Shimada paused a minute and then offered a metaphor. “Joining the ECSO, I felt excited, like I’d been given a new, very fast car. It’s thrilling, but at the same time you’re a little uncertain how to drive such an expensive machine until you’ve got it figured out. By now? I know how to drive it, and it’s such a pleasure and a lot of fun!”

Shimada continues to craft programs that blend classic pieces from the repertoire with opera excerpts, lesser-known composers, occasional pop exercise, and premieres.

“As we said, this is my 15th year, and I’m celebrating by revisiting some old favorites or playing material I’ve always wanted to play but haven’t been able to for one reason or another,” Shimada said. “I adore and am excited to conduct a lot of these pieces, but at the same time I’m so pleased to introduce our audiences to new artists and incredible, accessible new works. And, as always, the board enables us to afford to put on some of the larger presentations. I think this will be a remarkable season.”

ECSO SEASON

All ECSO concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London. Tickets are $14-$77 with discounts for seniors, students and military personnel with IDs. There are also Classic 6 ($163-$345) and Pick 4 ($121-$244) subscription packages available. Call (860) 444-7373 or go to ectsymphony.com or gardearts.org.

OCT. 26

Stravinsky — The Star-Spangled Banner

R. Strauss — Introduction of Also Sprach Zarathustra

Copland — The Tender Land: Introduction and Love Music, the Promise of Living

R. Strauss — Der Rosenkavalier Suite

Saint-Saëns — Symphony No. 3 in C minor featuring organist Simon Holt, organ

Shimada: “I wanted so much to do the Saint-Saëns because it’s a very festive and big experience that gets the audience out of their seats. I didn’t have to think too hard about who would be best for this. It’s Simon Holt, no question! I’ve known him since I got here and we’re close colleagues. I admire his work with the Salt Marsh Opera so much and it was natural to ask him.”

NOV. 23

Mahler — Symphony No. 3 featuring soprano Janna Baty

Shimada commented: “You need a lot of vitamins for this. At 130 minutes, it’s the longest symphony in the world. Every once in a while, you want to climb Everest. It’s an amazing work by one of the greatest composers ever and requiring huge effort. And Janna Baty is just an amazing mezzo-soprano.”

JAN. 25, 2025

Mozart — Oboe Concerto featuring oboist Erik Andrusyak

Shaw — And the Swallow

Mozart — Sinfonia Concertante featuring violist Alex McLaughlin and violinist Stephen Tieszen

Beethoven — Symphony No. 8

Shimada: “Stephen, Alex and Erik are our own musicians, and it’s a delight to get to feature them on this program.”

FEB. 22, 2025

Nazaykinskaya — world premiere

Wieniawski — Violin Concerto No. 2 featuring violinist Kinga Augustyn

Shimada: “We are calling this program ‘A Call for Peace’ and are thinking of Eastern Europe in terms of the music and soloist. The program begins with a world premiere by Polina Nazaykinskaya, a graduate of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory College and the Yale School of Music. And we also have the Polish violinist Kinga Augustyn, who studied at the Juilliard School and has performed all over the world.”

MARCH 29, 2025

Kimo Williams — Fanfare for Life

Barber — Adagio for Strings

Prokofiev — Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring pianist Adam Adov, winner of the 2024 ECSO Instrumentalist Competition

Schumann — Symphony Bo. 1 (Spring)

Shimada: “We’ve been very fortunate is selecting high caliber winners for our instrumental competitions, and this year is no exception. Adam is a tremendous young talent and he’s going to have a very fine career.”

APRIL 26, 2025

Verdi — La Forza del Destino Overture

Puccini — Intermezzo from Mano Lescaut

Puccini — Love Duet from La Boheme and Madama Butterfly

Verdi — Triumphal March from Aida

Verdi — Libiamo from La Traviata

Verdi — Va Pensiero from Nabucco and other chorus works from Il Trovatore . La Traviata and Aida featuring soprano Sarah Joyce Cooper and tenor Jesus Daniel Hernandez

Shimada: “I’ve been thinking a long time about producing an opera program but that’s very, very expensive music. Once again, our board came through for us. I adore both of these composers and the audience will hear some very romantic works and amazing chorus parts. Sarah Cooper sang Brahms with us a few years ago and we’ve had a lot of requests to bring her back. And Jesus is a war veteran who was injured severely. He was discovered by Placido Domingo and he’s just fantastic. A very warm story.”

If you go

Who: The Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London

How much: $14-$77 with discounts for seniors, students and military personnel with IDs

For more information: ectsymphony.com, gardearts.org