Spring Festival in Tokyo 2019

Spring Festival in Tokyo 2019 is a music festival in celebration of the arrival of Spring in Tokyo. Festival is held from March 15th (Friday) through April 14th (Sunday), 2019, in commemoration of its 15th anniversary at various venues in Ueno, Tokyo.

The festival comprises approximately 200 concerts - including opera (concert style), orchestra's gala concerts, chamber music concerts, and lieder concerts which will be held not only in concert halls but also in museums and various places in Ueno Park.

In commemorating the Festival's 15th anniversary, this year's Festival highlights include special projects such as the "Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo" and "Wagner für Kinder (Wagner for Children)" productions in cooperation with the Bayreuth Festival.

The 2019 Festival will be one rich in quality and diversity, surely to celebrate the arrival of spring.

The NHK Symphony Orchestra (NHK交響楽団 NHK Kōkyō Gakudan) is a Japanese orchestra based in Tokyo. The orchestra gives concerts in several venues, including the NHK Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

The orchestra began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. Later, it changed its name to the Japan Symphony Orchestra. In 1951, after receiving financial support from NHK, the orchestra took its current name.

The most recent music director of the orchestra was Vladimir Ashkenazy, from 2004 to 2007. Ashkenazy now has the title of conductor laureate. Charles Dutoit, the orchestra's music director from 1998 to 2003, is now its music director emeritus. Wolfgang Sawallisch, honorary conductor from 1967 to 1994, held the title of honorary conductor laureate until his death.

The orchestra's current permanent conductors are Yuzo Toyama, since 1979, and Tadaaki Otaka, since 2010. Herbert Blomstedt holds the title of honorary conductor, since 1986. André Previn has the title of honorary guest conductor, since 2012. In June 2012, the orchestra named Paavo Järvi as its next chief conductor, as of the 2015–2016 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.

On the occasion of 1992 production of Der fliegunde Hollander directed by Yukio Ninagawa, conductor Seiji Ozawa requested a “world-class chorus”. And that is how the Tokyo Opera Singers (= TOS) came to be formed by the vocalists who are mainly based in Tokyo, and at the beginning or in the middle of their musical careers. This chorus ensemble in this production attained an enormous success, and received praises from all venues. The Tokyo Opera Singers went on to perform in Oedipus Rex at the first Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, and the Japanese performance of the Der fliegunde Honllander by the Bayerische Staatsoper.

Performing regularly since 1993, the Tokyo Opera Singers has performed at important occasions in the Japanese music scene including the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, the Tokyo Philharmonic Opera Concertante Series, and the Biwa Lake Opera Productions. They have also performed with the Berlin Komische Opera (conducted by Valery Gergiev), St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI in their Japanese appearances. The singers have also contributed to the vitalization of the music scene with their appearance as the chorus and soloists in the premiere of Su-sa-no-o by Dan Ikuma, at the 1st Kanagawa Art Festival. For the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the singers represented Japan and sang the chorale from L.v. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with other groups from six different countries. In 1999, they made their appearance at Edinburgh Music Festival (Turandot produced by Tokyu Bunakmura), one of the major festivals in Europe. For two consecutive years, 2000 and 2001, they collaborated with the Wiener Philharmoniker (conductors Seiji Ozawa and Sir Simon Rattle), by whom they have been highly praised. The Tokyo Opera Singers have performed at each of the Saito Kinen Festivals to date, every year successfully achieving solid musical results.

This unique ensemble is characterized first and foremost for their overwhelmingly rich vocal sonorities. Most of the members are also active as professional soloists outside of the group's activities, and the resulting purity and professionalism of the ensemble brings forth an exceptional sound. Secondly, the Tokyo Opera Singers is successful because its members can flexibly match the work to be sung, producing the most appropriate sonority. Members specialize in genres varying from Baroque to Romantic opera, or in contemporary music, and the singers would be selected appropriately for the work at hand in mind.

From the Press
"Hearing such a high standard chorus perform was an overwhelming experience." (Shin-ichi Kamohara)
“You gather a talented group of people, and you instantly have the best chorus in Japan, or in the world, like this one. The chorus was indeed magnificent.” (Katsuo Matsumoto on Oedipus Rex, from the first festival)
“You gather a talented group of people, and you instantly have the best chorus in Japan, or in the world, like this one. The chorus was indeed magnificent.” (Katsuo Matsumoto on Oedipus Rex, from the first festival)
“What was most dramatic was how the members of the Opera Singers moved around on the stage. Perhaps there was never a time in operatic performances in Japan when the chorus moved so freely, and at the same time providing meaningful acting and wonderful singing.” (Akio Jissouji on The Rake’s Progress, from the fourth festival)
“I thought the chorus was exceptional in this concert. They did not show any signs of disarray as the long piece went on, and they actually achieved more beauty in their singing from around the Hosanna, where it becomes two-part singing.” (Shuji Horiuchi on Bach’s B-Minor Mass, from the ninth festival)
“The chorus of villagers was filled with musical dynamism, practically serving as the main role. There was no separation between the chorus and the finely selected soloists, which made every chorus member seem like a soloist and every soloist a member of the chorus.” (Tadashi Isoyama on Peter Grimes, from the 11th festival)
“As usual, the Tokyo Opera Singers were superb. Combined with the magnificently selected soloists, they sang the music to sublimity, filling the hall with a storm of passion.” (Yoshihisa Sasaki on L.v. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, from the 11th festival)
“The Tokyo Opera Singers were even better than before. I liked the scene where several men searched desperately from house to house. They really put on a show with great acting skills.” (Reiko Sekine on Falstaff, from the 12th festival)

Pianoduo Deu'or is a piano duo by Takashi Fujii who is a pianist from Chiba Prefecture and Yoshie Shiramizua from Hyogo prefecture. Takashi Fujii and Yoshie Shirarimi formed a piano duo "Duor" in Germany in 2004 and started performing as a duo. They have won international awards in Britain, America, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Japan from the time of formation.

Takashi Fujii graduated from the graduate school of Tokyo University of the Arts(Geidai). He completed the soloist class (Konzertexamen) and piano duo class with the best mark at Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts in Germany. He studied in Germany as a scholar of Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
He currently serves as faculty member at Musashino Academy of Music.

Yoshie Shiramizua graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. She completed the soloist class (Konzertexamen) and piano duo class with the best mark at Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts in Germany. In Germany, she studied as a scholar of the Nomura Cultural Foundation in Japan and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
She currently serves as faculty member at Kunitachi College of Music.

They’ve received numerous international awards since they formed a piano duo in Germany in 2004. Since then, DUOR has received a high evaluation and attention from their performance, at more than 600 stages including concerts with/without orchestra, lectures, NHK-BS (TV), FM radio, in Japan and overseas.
Their 6th album “GOLDBERG-VARIATIONEN fuer 2 KLAVIERE” released in 2016 was
selected as the best album by a magazine “Record Geijutsu“ as well as nominated at the Record Academy Award for musical composition.

The duo plans to release their 7th album in 2018 autumn, conduct a tour in Germany in October, and hold a recital tour in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka in November and December.

In recent years, they are dedicated to training the young piano duo. They are highly expected to become leaders who pave the way for piano duo via seminars at SAINOKUNI Saitama Arts Theater, KAWAI UMEDA as well as universities including Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Doshisha Women’s College of Liveral Arts and Soai University.

Veritas String Quartet concludes 4 artists:
– Violin: Jun Iwasaki
– Violin: Machiko Shimada
– Viola: Yukiko Ogura
– Cello: Sumire Kudo

Jun Iwasaki, Adjunct Professor of Violin, is the Concertmaster and Walter Buchanan Sharp Chair of the Nashville Symphony.
He was appointed concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony by Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero at the beginning of the 2011-12 season. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s prestigious Concertmaster Academy, he has been hailed for his combination of dazzling technique and lyrical musicianship. In a review of Iwasaki’s performance at the Mimir Chamber Music Festival, the Fort Worth Star Telegram called him “the magician of the evening. He could reach into his violin and pull out bouquets of sound, then reach behind your ear and touch your soul.”
Prior to joining the Nashville Symphony, Iwasaki served as concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony from 2007-11, and he performed with that ensemble at the first annual Spring for Music Festival in 2011. Throughout his career, he has appeared with numerous other orchestras, including the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Rome (Georgia) Philharmonic, New Bedford Symphony, Canton Symphony, Richardson Symphony, Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Plano Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. In addition, he has served as concertmaster of Asian Artists and Concerts Orchestra (AAC), guest concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony in 2010, and guest concertmaster of the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa in 2006. He served in the same position with the Canton (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra from 2005-07.
Iwasaki joined the Blair faculty as adjunct professor of violin in 2012.

Ms. Machiko Shimada graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music with the highest achievement in the class in 1998 and received Ataka prize.
After her study with Prof. Chikashi Tanaka, Shimada went on her study with Prof. Marco Rizzi at the Hochschule fur Musik Detmold in Germany. Since 1999 she has studied in Europe for 6 years and taken master class by Isaac Stern, Dorothy Delay, Reiner Kussmaul, Herman Krebbers, Zakhar Bron and Michael Frischenschlager during that time. In 2005, Ms. Shimada graduated from Hochschule fur Musik Detmold with the highest record of Diplom “Konzert Examen”.
Ms. Shimada was awarded the 1st prize of all Japan student national music competition, the special prize from Japan Federation of Musicians, the 1st prize of Japan Mozart competition, the 2nd prize of Japan national music competition, the special prize of 45th International Violin competition“Premio N. Paganini”, the 1st prize of DAAD prize competition in Germany, Diploma from The Queen Elisabeth International music competition, 5th prize of the International J. S. Bach Competition Violin/Baroqueviolin
In 2006, Ms. Shimada received the Aichi Prefectural Arts Encouragement Prize from the government of Aichi prefecture and In 2009, Received the Nagoya city Arts Prize from the government of Nagoya city in Japan.
She participated in the Aspen music Festival with scholarship. At the Saito Kinen Festival directed by Seiji Ozawa, she performed as a soloist Bach and Mozart concerti. Since 1998, she has been invited to the Saito Kinen Festival for many projects and recording sessions every summer.In 2000 Ms. Shimada participated in the concert tour of “East West Baroque Academy” directed by Walter von Hauwe in Holland and Japan and performed as a soloist with a baroque instrument in the tour. In 2004 and 2005, Ms. Shimada made a concert tour in Chile as a member of Detmold Piano Quartet.
As a popular artist from Nagoya, Ms. Shimada plays a main role in a chamber music project at Shirakawa Hall in Nagoya since 2004 and is responsible for programming for concerts and recordings.
Ms. Shimada has performed as a soloist with many orchestras including the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic, Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Academy Sinfonia(U.K.), Detmold Academy Orchestra and Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie(Belgium), Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum(Leipzig).
She has also given solo recitals and chamber music recitals in Munster and Detmold (title “Meister von Morgen”), Berlin, Tervuren(Belgium) and throughout Japan. She devotes her time in many different chamber music projects. Till now she has collaborated with artists such as Menahem Pressler, Nobuko Imai, Frans Helmerson, Michaela Martin, Friedrich W. Schnurr, Wolfgang Tomboeck.

The violist Yukiko Ogura was born in the beautiful and historic city of Nara in western Japan. Having studied the violin at Kyoto City University of the Arts, she won a position as a member of the Kobe City Chamber Orchestra, an orchestra specializing in string repertoire.
Encouraged by Nobuko Imai, she became more interested in the viola, eventually giving up the violin completely in order to study with Mazumi Tanamura in Tokyo. She emigrated to the USA in 2000 and continued her studies there with Li-Kuo Chang at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She became the violist of the Eusia String Quartet that subsequently won the gold medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2001. In the same year, Yukiko was appointed a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Her passion for the chamber music repertoire has remained the mainspring of her life.
During her tenure in Chicago, she appeared as a chamber musician with members of the CSO, and also with artists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Lang Lang and the Vermeer Quartet. In 2015 Yukiko joined the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Cellist Sumire Kudo is a chamber musician, soloist, and a member of the New York Philharmonic. Previously she taught at Indiana University–South Bend and was the cellist of the Avalon String Quartet. Her honors include the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award, which she received from the Sony Music Foundation after being chosen by Seiji Ozawa and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi as the most promising cellist in 2005, and prizes at the Sapporo Junior Cello Competition and 62nd Japan Music Competition.
She has participated in the Nagano-Aspen Music, Aspen Music, Santa Fe, SummerFest La Jolla, Miyazaki Music, Music@Menlo, and Marlboro Music festivals. She has appeared in solo performances with the Toho Gakuen Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo City Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Japan’s leading classical music magazine gave its Best Recording Award to her second solo CD, Love of Beauty on the Philips label.
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Ms. Kudo began cello studies at age four with her father, cellist Akiyoshi Kudo, and went on to study with Yoritoyo Inoue, Hakuro Mori, Harvey Shapiro, and the Juilliard Quartet. She came to the United States in 2000, after establishing herself in her native country through solo performances and recordings. She is a graduate of Tokyo’s Toho School and The Juilliard School, where she served as assistant to the Juilliard Quartet.

Calefax is a close-knit ensemble of five reed players united by a shared passion. For more than three decades they have been acclaimed in the Netherlands and abroad for their virtuosic playing, brilliant arrangements and innovative stage presentation.

They are the inventors of a completely new genre: the reed quintet. They provide inspiration to young wind players from all over the world who follow in their footsteps. Calefax can be defined as a classical ensemble with a pop mentality.

Calefax takes an adventurous approach to present its programmes and has an astonishingly varied repertoire ranging from 1100 to the present day. They perform their own arrangements and newly commissioned compositions for the unique combination of oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet and bassoon. Calefax is open to the influence of world music, jazz and improvisation as a result of countless international tours and collaborations with all kinds of musicians.

The group publishes sheet music of their own arrangements for reed quintet under the name Calefax Edition so that they play a pioneering role and put this new genre on the map. All over the world, new reed quintets are springing up, following Calefax’ example; from Argentine to New-Zealand and from the United States to Europe. By offering master classes and workshops at conservatories and universities, Calefax passes its specific methods and musical experience on to the next generations.

In this way, the group functions as an inspiring laboratory for musicians and composers alike. It does so, for example, during their annual PAN festival; a musical feast where the musicians of Calefax act both as hosts and performers. The festival ensures a motley selection of music adventures, unexpected excursions into other art forms and a composition competition.

Schedule & Ticket

Place information

• Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art
  東京都美術館

  Address

  日本、〒110-0007 東京都台東区上野公園８−３６  Map

• Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
  東京文化会館

  Address

  日本、〒110-8716 東京都台東区上野公園５−４５  Map

• Tokyo Kinema Club
  東京キネマ倶楽部

  Address

  日本、〒110-0003 東京都台東区根岸１丁目１−１４  Map

• Ishibashi Memorial Hall
  石橋メモリアルホール

  Address

  日本、〒110-0015 東京都台東区東上野４丁目２４−１２  Map

• Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan
  東京国立博物館平成館

  Address

  日本、〒110-0007 東京都台東区上野公園１３−９ 東京国立博物館内  Map

• Rising Square ground floor Earth Garden
  ライジング・スクエア1階 アース・ガーデン

  Address

    Map

• Ueno Royal Museum
  上野の森美術館

  Address

  日本、〒110-0007 東京都台東区上野公園１−２  Map

• National Museum of Western Art
  国立西洋美術館

  Address

  日本、〒110-0007 東京都台東区上野公園７−７  Map

• National Science Museum
  国立科学博物館

  Address

  日本、〒110-8718 東京都台東区上野公園７−２０  Map

• Old Tokyo Music School Gakudo
  旧東京音楽学校奏楽堂

  Address

  日本、〒110-0007 東京都台東区上野公園８−４３  Map

• Tokyo University of the Arts
  奏楽堂

  Address

  日本、〒110-8714 東京都台東区上野公園１２−８  Map

  Tokyo University of the Arts (東京藝術大学 , Tōkyō Geijutsu Daigaku) or Geidai (芸大 ) is an art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju, Adachi, Tokyo. The university owns two halls of residence: one (for both Japanese and international students) in Adachi, Tokyo, and the other (for mainly international students) in Matsudo, Chiba.

  The university was formed in 1949 by the merger of the Tokyo Fine Arts School (東京美術学校 , Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō) and the Tokyo Music School (東京音楽学校 , Tōkyō Ongaku Gakkō) , both founded in 1887. Originally male-only, the schools began to admit women in 1946. The graduate school opened in 1963, and began offering doctoral degrees in 1977. After the National University Corporations were formed on April 1, 2004, the school became known as the Kokuritsu Daigaku Hōjin Tōkyō Geijutsu Daigaku ((国立大学法人東京藝術大学 ) . On April 1, 2008, the university changed its English name from "Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music" to "Tokyo University of the Arts."

  The school has had student exchanges with a number of other art and music institutions such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA), the Royal Academy of Music (UK), the University of Sydney and Queensland College of Art, Griffith University (Australia), the Korea National University of Arts, and the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

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