News

Orchestra and Opera programs SKO member lists are here!

Saito Kinen Orchestra member list for each program is available! Don't miss the one and only sound created by the great artists in the world!

Orchestra Concert Program A will be a "Titan" of a performance! OMF welcomes back Maestro Fabio Luisi to lead the Saito Kinen Orchestra for Mahler: Symphony No.1 “The Titan” and the especially poignant Symphony No. 4 by Franz Schmidt. Maestro Luisi and the SKO have an incredible chemistry together and have wowed audiences with performances of several Mahler symphonies over the years. The Titan is a mainstay in the classical music repertoire and the audience will leave the performance with memorable melodies playing in their heads. As a team, Maestro Luisi and the SKO will challenge the heart wrenching Schmidt Symphony No. 4 which will be the debut performance at the OMF. Composed as a requiem for the death of his daughter, Symphony No. 4 encapsulates Schmidt's feelings of anguish, resignation, and sense of loss. Schmidt's orchestration colors an emotional landscape with beautiful solo passages in the trumpet, cello, and horn.

Orchestra Concert Program B is led under the baton of Diego Matheuz who is returning after a successful performance at the 2018OMF. Orchestra Concert Program B will showcase the versatility of the SFO by featuring a variety of music from around the world composed in three different centuries. Ranging from Russia to Mexico with some Austria in between, Program B has something for every audience member.

Orchestra Concert with “Peter and the Wolf” will see the OMF debut of Radek Baborák as conductor leading the SKO. Maestro Baborák has been a regular member of the SKO for many years and has earned the respect of Seiji Ozawa to take the reins of the SKO. This family friendly program features works by Mozart, Ravel, and Bartók. The highlight of the concert is a collaboration with several artists for the performance of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf". Joining Maestro Baborák and the SKO are Mr. Murotsuyoshi who will be narrating the story in Japanese, and the wonderful illustrations of Ms. Nana Furiya. Kids of all ages are sure to enjoy this fantastic program!

Come watch the magic unfold before you through the romance and tragedy of Tchaikovsky's opera, Eugene Onegin. The most popular of Tchaikovsky's operas, this year's production including the sets and costumes come from the New York Metropolitan Opera. Maestro Fabio Luisi will be joined by the SKO and over 100 cast members to tell a story of jealousy, friendship, remorse, and unrequited love. You are sure to experience a dramatic performance that will melt your heart.

Check out the SKO members playing in each program in the links below!

Orchestra Concert Program A SKO Member List
Orchestra Concert Program B SKO Member List
Orchestra Concert with “Peter and the Wolf” SKO Member List
Opera Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin SKO Member List


Ticket Information

Orchestra Concert Program A : Few S, A seats available

Orchestra Concert Program B : Few S, A seats available

Orchestra Concert with “Peter and the Wolf” : ALL TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT!

Opera Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin : C, D Tickets are SOLD OUT!

Chamber Concert I On the Day Tickets

On the day tickets for Aug 18 (Sun) Chamber Concer I will be available for purchase as below.


■Aug 18 (Sun) Chamber Concert I On the day Tickets

Ticket price: 4,500 yen (tax included / all seats reserved)

9:00  Numbered tickets will be distributed at the entrance of The Harmony Hall
14:00 On the day tickets sales starts
15:00 Doors open
16:00 Concert starts

2019OMF opens tomorrow with Liedduo harmony

2019 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival opens tomorrow with OMF Chamber Music Study Group -Liedduo Recital. Yesterday they had a concert at The Music Hall in Okushiga. Despite the weather, nearly 200 people came to enjoy the harmony of lied and piano.
Tickets on the day are available for tomorrow's recital from 2 PM at the venue. Please come and join us on the opening day!

■OMF Chamber Music Study Group -Liedduo Recital-
Venue: The Harmony Hall
2 PM : Door open/tickets on the day sales start
3 PM : Start
5 PM : End

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2019OMF Official Festival Goods Arrived!

Watch out collectors! New design Tenugui hand towels, handkerchief, festival T-shirts are soon available for purchase. Come check out new items such as Folding Mirror, “Peter and the Wolf” memo book and more. Some items may sell out quickly.
The opening hours of the gift shop as below:

●Kissei Bunka Hall : 8/17 - 9/7 Opens Daily from 10 - 17 (opens until the end of performances on the day of concerts)
●Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre : 8/20, 22, 24, 9/1 opens from house open until the end of performances.
●The Harmony Hall : 8/17, 18, 25, 31 opens from house open until the end of performances.

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Orchestra Concert Program A & B  Kissei Bunka Hall ⇔ Matsumoto Station Shuttle Bus Available

Shuttle busses will be available for the Orchestra Concert Program A and B to and from Kissei Bunka Hall and Matsumoto Station. There is a concurrent event scheduled on September 7 for the Orchestra Program B, thus it is highly recommended to take advantage of the shuttle busses to avoid traffic jams.


■Shuttle Buss Schedule
Aug 23 (Fri) Orchestra Concert Program A

To Kissei Bunka Hall:Matsumoto Station Alps Exit 17:15 / 17:20 / 17:25 / 17:30 / 18:00 / 18:05 / 18:15
To Matsumoto Station:Kissei Bunka Hall 21:00(Stops at Matsumoto Station Castle Exit)

Sep 7 (Sat) Orchestra Concert Program B

To Kissei Bunka Hall:Matsumoto Station Alps Exit 13:10 / 13:15 / 13:20 / 13:25 / 13:30 / 13:55 / 14:00 / 14:05 / 14:10 / 14:15
To Matsumoto Station:Kissei Bunka Hall 17:00(Stops at Matsumoto Station Castle Exit)

■Where to purchase the shuttle bus tickets
Matsumoto Station : Ticket stand can be found at Alps Exit.
Kissei Bunka Hall : Ticket can be purchased 1 hour prior to the performance or during intermission in the hall lobby. You may also purchase tickets nearby the bus stop after the concert.

■Shuttle bus fares
Adult 250 Yen (Junior High school student and over)
Child 130 Yen (Elementary school student and under)
※Children under 6 years old is free of charge per 1 adult. More than 1 child under 6 years old per 1 adult will be charged for the child fare.

8/12-22 OMF Film Concert at Shinmai Media Garden!

OMF Film Concert will take place at Shinmai Mdeia Garden from Aug 12 - 22. Please enjoy some cool air with great music and opera on big screen. See the photo for the film list.

■OMF Film Concert
Shinmai Media Garden 1F Hall
Aug 12 (Mon Holiday) - 22 (Thu) 1PM - 5PM
Admission Free
Please see the photo for the film list.

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Come and enjoy beautiful harmony at Matsumoto Castle tomorrow!

One of the OMF open events which tells us the arrival of the festival season "Harmony at the Castle" take place at Matsumoto Castle Park tomorrow. Together with SK Matsumoto Chorus Group and SK Matsumoto Junior Chorus Group, a special chorus group from China will join the performance. Please enjoy the beautiful harmony across borders.

Harmony at the Castle
Aug 10 (Sat) 10:30 - 12:00
Matsumoto Castle Park

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Special "Demae" Concert at Matsumoto City Museum of Art

We are happy to announce special "Demae" concert of Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" at Matsumoto City Museum of Art. We will present some songs from the opera as well as commentary on story. We are looking forward to seeing you there!


【Special Demae Concert 《Art meets Music》Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" Selection】

Aug 11 (Sun) 18:30 (about 1 hour
Matsumoto City Museum of Art Lobby Hall (The concert will take place after the Museum closed)

<Casts>
Takaoki Onishi (Eugene Onegin)
Ekaterina Sannikova (Tatyana)
Evgeniy Akhmedov (Lensky)
Carolyn Sproule (Olga)
Joshua Blue (Mousieur Triquet)
David Soar (Prince Gremin)

Piano: Mariko Kobayashi
Comment:Takuya Nemoto
*Casts are subject to change.

<Songs>
Area, duets and more from Opera "Eugene Onegin"

<How to attend>
〇Free of charge
〇Numbered tickets will be distributed from 9:30AM on the day of the concert at Matsumoto City Museum of Art / In front of Lecture room. Maximum number of tickets is 80.
〇Door open 6:00PM.

Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" Backstage Tour

 Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" will host a backstage tour on Aug 22 (Thu). Please see below for details.


【Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" Backtage tour】

Aug 22 (Thu) After 15:00PM performance
*No backstage tour on 20 and 24.

<About>
◯Participants must have Aug 22 performance ticket.
◯Maximum 50 people can participate. Please apply through application form at the venue on the day of the performance. When the number of people were more than 50, we will hold a lottery.
◯The application form is open from 14:00PM to 15:00PM. We will announce the participants during intermission.
◯Tour is about 30 min.
◯The tour may be cancelled for unavoidable circumstances.

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Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" Cast Change Announcement

Baritone singer Mariusz Kwiecien, who was to sing the title role in Opera Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin on August 20, 22, and 24, has stepped down due to a knee injury.

Mr. Kwiecien sustained an injury to his knee on July 5 while performing in the Mozart opera Le nozze di Figaro at Bayerische Staatsoper (Germany). He underwent surgery on July 16, but has been diagnosed as requiring a few weeks to recuperate, rendering it impossible for him to come to Japan for OMF on August 7 as scheduled and to participate in the rehearsals and performances. It has thus been decided that his appearance in Eugene Onegin must be canceled. We deeply apologize to those who were looking forward to Mr. Kwiecien’s performance.

Turkish baritone Levent Bakirci will sing in place of Mr. Kwiecien. In 2018, Mr. Bakirci made his debut at the Festival of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in the title role of Il prigioniero by Luigi Dallapiccola. He returned to the festival in 2019 as Graf von Gloster in Aribert Reimann’s Lear under the baton of Fabio Luisi, and is invited back in 2020 for Pizarro/Fidelio, under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Mr. Bakirci is an up-and-coming singer highly commended by Maestro Luisi, and we invite you to look forward to his performance.

Please see here for Levent Bkirci Profile


Opera Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin"
Aug 20 (Tue) 18:30
Aug 22 (Thu) 15:00
Aug 24 (Sat) 15:00
Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre Main Hall
 
(Scheduled Cast)Eugene Onegin : Mariusz Kwiecien
(Cast change)Eugene Onegin : Levent Bakirci


Saito Kinen Orchestra
Conductor : Fabio Luisi

※Please note that no ticket refunds or exchanges will be made due to this change.