[news_1502241_en.jpg] OREANDA-NEWS.ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it would organize the First ITOCHU Summer Concert performance of the New York Symphonic Ensemble (hereinafter “NYSE”) at Suntory Hall in Minato-ku, Tokyo on Wednesday, July 22. General ticket sales will begin on Monday, April 6.
As part of its support of the arts, ITOCHU has invited the New York Symphonic Ensemble to its Tokyo Headquarters and held concerts in the lobby every year since 1992. Redefining the concert series with NYSE, which has taken place 23 times and is an opportunity for more members of the local community to have a cultural experience and to enjoy music performance, ITOCHU has decided to hold this year’s concert at Suntory Hall for the first time.
For this inaugural event in the new series, NYSE will play classic numbers such as Symphony No.40 in G minor composed by Mozart. At the end of the concert, the NYSE will be joined by members of the Orchestra Club of Tokyo Metropolitan Aoyama High School to perform together Triumphal March from Opera Aida composed by Giuseppe Verdi. At Aoyama High School, a rehearsal with conductor Mamoru Takahara is scheduled about one month before the real stage performance. On the day, the performers from the high school will fully display the results of their training to deliver a lively and refreshing performance. During the intermission, there will be a special talk between actress Keiko Takeshita, who acted as a master of ceremonies in the past concert series, and Eizo Kobayashi, the chairman of ITOCHU Corporation. ITOCHU will endeavor to make the ITOCHU Summer Concerts into a series that will be beloved by many people for a long time from the perspective of developing future generations and making a contribution to local communities.

(Scenes of past “ITOCHU Lobby Concerts”)

Overiew of the First ITOCHU Summer Concert Performance: New York Symphonic Ensemble’s Concert in Tokyo

 Date and Time

Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 7 p.m.

(The concert venue will open at 6:30 p.m.) 

 Venue

  Suntory Hall, 1-13-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

 Conducted by

  Mamoru Takahara

 Admission

  Category S: 4,000 yen; Category A: 3,000 yen

 Tickets will be available at

  https://www.funity.jp/itochusc[Open in a new window]

 For inquiries, contact the ITOCHU Summer Concert Office

  03-5953-9481

New York Symphonic Ensemble (NYSE)

Established in 1979 as the New York Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. In 1983, the name was changed to the current name. It has thus far performed for 35 seasons and made 29 visits to Japan. It comprises musicians that are at the front-line of music in New York. The NYSE has earned an excellent reputation for its performances in the annual United Nations Population Award ceremony organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as it features arrangements of award-winning music from countries around the world. It is also well known for its enthusiasm in the development of young musicians by actively inviting them to its concerts.

Mamoru Takahara, music director and conductor

Mamoru Takahara is the music director and permanent conductor of the NYSE. After graduation from Kunitachi College of Music, he moved to the United States to study conducting under Leonard Bernstein. Later, he started his full-scale activities as a conductor based in New York. Since he was appointed music director of the New York Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, the forerunner of the NYSE, he has not merely served as conductor, but also engaged in production and management for the whole of the NYSE and plays a central role in it. His performance at historical buildings including the Toshodaiji Temple in Nara Prefecture and the Izumo Taisha Shrine in Shimane Prefecture attracted public attention and gained high marks. He was awarded a Foreign Minister’s Commendation for FY 2009.