Regensburg, Germany - Japanese conductor Tetsuro Ban has been appointed new musical director of the main theatre in the southern Germany city of Regensburg, it was announced Monday. 

The 40-year-old, who is currently chief conductor at the Thuringia state theatre in the eastern German city of Leipzig, takes over his new post at the start of the 2009-10 season, the announcement said. 

Ban studied musical composition in his home town of Kyoto before moving to Europe in 1990. 

He trained as a conductor in Vienna and then moved to Germany where he held positions at the Comical Opera in Berlin and at the Brandenburg Theatre near the capital. 

He later worked in other European countries as well as Japan. 

He has conducted the St Petersburg Philharmonic as well as orchestras at the Vienna opera, the Basle Theatre and the state opera in Stuttgart. 

In Regensburg, he replaces Raoul Grueneis, who is leaving after four years as musical director. (dpa)