[1] Prior to Portland, he was Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra[1] for six years, beginning in 1981.
He has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Andre Watts, Emanual Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Peter Serkin, Idil Biret, Janos Starker, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Nadjia Salerno-Sonnenberg, Cho-Liang Lin, James Galway, Evelyn Glennie, Barry Tuckwell, and Doc Severinsen.
He was a finalist in the 1979 Herbert von Karajan conducting competition in Berlin as well as a Fellow Conductor in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute in 1983.
[2] Shimada is very active in the recording industry, namely with the Naxos, the complete Paul Hindemith Piano Concerti with Idil Biret and Yale Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Modern Masters label, conducting the Moravian Philharmonic, and currently he has fourteen Compact Discs.
His recording of Renaissance, Baroque and Classical works with the Prague Chamber Orchestra and Prague Chamber Singers will soon to be released by the Trinity Music Partners, LLC, in the Vatican Music Library Collection label.