Notice of Cancellation of the 2020 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival
We regret to announce that we are cancelling the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (OMF) that was to be held in Matsumoto City of Nagano Prefecture this summer (August 21 through September 4, 2020) in light of circumstances surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic.
While closely monitoring government announcements and social conditions in relation to COVID-19, we have repeatedly discussed the situation with Festival Director Seiji Ozawa and the co-presenters, Nagano Prefecture and Matsumoto City. Tickets were scheduled to go on sale from June 13, but with the continuing international travel restrictions, which would prevent performers from coming to Japan, as well as domestic travel restrictions implemented with the declaration of a state of emergency, we have arrived at this decision to prioritize the safety and security of visitors, performers, volunteers, and staff.
To all who were looking forward to the festival, our partners and sponsors, and everyone involved in the preparations, we apologize and ask for your kind understanding.
Inaugurated in 1992, OMF was to mark its 29th season this year. Many people are now surely gaining a new appreciation of how precious and special it is to interact and enjoy music in the same physical space. We will share the dates and other details for the festival next year once they are confirmed, but 2021 will mark an illustrious milestone of thirty years. It is our hope that by then, this global crisis will be but a distant memory, and that the environment to deliver performances of the Saito Kinen Orchestra and other superb musicians will have been restored. In the meanwhile, we will place even greater effort into preparing for 2021. We hope for your ongoing support of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival.
Tadashi Hori, President of Saito Kinen Foundation
Akio Tsubota, Executive Officer of Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival Executive Committee
I was hoping to hold the music festival in my beloved Matsumoto, but have decided to cancel it because now is the time to protect everyone.
I am already looking forward to seeing you all next year and hope for the swift return of a world where we can feel safe.
Director of Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival
