NHK Symphony Orchestra Special Concert

The NHK Symphony Orchestra was established on 5 Oct 1926 under the name the New Symphony Orchestra. It laid its foundation as Japan’s leading orchestra under the direction of Joseph Rosenstock, who was invited from Germany shortly thereafter. Its subscription concerts, the mainstay of its performances, began on 20 Feb 1927 and have continued uninterrupted to this day, even during the Second World War.

In 1951, the orchestra came under the financial support of Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and was renamed the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Since then, it has consistently welcomed world-renowned conductors such as Jean Martinon, Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Schüchter, Ernest Ansermet, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Lovro von Matacic, Joseph Keilberth, Pierre Boulez, Otmar Suitner, Horst Stein, André Previn and Lorin Maazel, as well as many of the world’s most sought-after soloists, producing performances that have gone down in history. The orchestra will mark its 100th anniversary in 2026.

Today, it presents about 120 concerts annually across Japan, including 54 subscription concerts. These are broadcast nationwide by NHK television and FM radio, with selected performances also shared globally via international broadcast services and the orchestra’s official YouTube channel.

Since its first world tour in 1960—visiting 24 cities in 12 countries—the orchestra has placed strong emphasis on international performances. In recent years, it appeared at the Salzburg Festival in 2013 and embarked on a concert tour in spring 2020, performing in nine major European music capitals including Berlin and Vienna, thereby establishing a significant presence on world’s most renowned stages. In May 2025, the orchestra undertook another European tour, visiting six cities in five countries, in conjunction with the Mahler Festival at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Prague Spring Festival and other prestigious events.

Contributing to society is also a key focus of the orchestra. It is engaged in a range of outreach projects, including the NHK Music Club for Children (a school-visiting programme), the Hotto Concert (designed for families), chamber music concerts aimed at comforting and uplifting people in disaster-affected areas and hospitals, and the NHKSO Academy which nurtures the next generation of musicians.

Conductors closely associated with the NHK Symphony Orchestra include Fabio Luisi (Chief Conductor), Charles Dutoit (Music Director Emeritus), Herbert Blomstedt (Honorary Conductor Laureate), Vladimir Ashkenazy (Conductor Laureate), Paavo Järvi (Honorary Conductor), Tadaaki Otaka (Permanent Conductor), and Tatsuya Shimono (Permanent Conductor).

Tatsuya Shimono has been Permanent Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra since October 2023, Principal Guest Conductor of Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra since April 2024.

Born in Kagoshima in 1969, Tatsuya Shimono cemented his international reputation as a conductor by winning the First Prize and the Hideo Saito Award at Tokyo International Music Competition for conducting in 2000, followed by First Prize at the 47th Besançon International Competition in 2001. Since then, he has guest conducted major orchestras such as Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Czech Philharmonic, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Barcelona Symphony (OBC), Sinfonia Varsovia and the NHK Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Shimono served as Resident Conductor and later Principal Guest Conductor of Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (2006-2017), and as Guest Conductor and then Principal Guest Conductor of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra (2014-2020). He as General Music Director of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2024.

Since 2011, he has also held the position of Music Director of Hiroshima Wind Orchestra. In addition to his work with orchestras, he regularly conducts opera productions at the New National Theatre Tokyo, Nissay Theatre, Nikikai Opera, and other venues.

Kyohei Sorita has emerged as one of Japan’s most celebrated pianists since winning the silver medal at the 2021 Chopin Competition in Warsaw. He is the founder, producer, and conductor of the Japan National Orchestra and runs his own record label, NOVA. Sorita also produces Solistiade, a music salon that fosters connections between young musicians and music lovers. Recognised by Forbes as one of Asia's most influential business personalities under 30, Sorita is a dynamic force both on and off the stage.

In August 2025, Sorita made his highly anticipated debut at the Salzburger Festspiele with the Mozarteum Orchestra, becoming the first Japanese pianist since Mitsuko Uchida in 1989 to debut as a soloist with orchestra at the Festspiele. Notably, he will also be the first Japanese artist to perform in the dual role of soloist and conductor at this prestigious event.

Sorita's international career gained momentum in 2023 with a lauded debut at the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. His performance in May 2024 with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, where he dazzled as both pianist and conductor, further solidified his reputation, leading to immediate re-invitations from both orchestras.

At the outset of the 2023/24 season, Sorita appeared as pianist and conductor with the Japan National Orchestra at the Südtirol Festival Meran, where he was hailed as "the discovery of the festival." Shortly thereafter, he collaborated with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Alan Gilbert during a Japan tour featuring Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1. February 2024 marked another milestone with his debut with the Residentie Orkest, performing in The Hague and Utrecht, followed by an Asian tour with the Basel Chamber Orchestra later that season.

The current season has seen Sorita debut with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, alongside return engagements with the Munich Philharmonic and Tonkünstler Orchestra. Upcoming seasons include a debut at the Klavierfestival Ruhr, reappearances with the Mozarteum Orchestra, a Japan tour with members of the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic, and another Japan tour with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under Paavo Järvi.

Sorita has performed with esteemed ensembles such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, and the NHK, Yomiuri, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestras. He has worked under renowned conductors including Robin Ticciati, Sebastian Weigle, Yutaka Sado, Andrea Battistoni, Andrey Boreyko, and Mikhail Pletnev.

Sorita became known to a wider audience overnight when he won first prize, the audience prize and three other special prizes at the 81st Japanese Music Competition in 2012. He pursued advanced studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Early highlights included his solo recital debut and performance with the Mariinsky Orchestra at the Russian International Music Festival, followed by a triumphant sold-out recital at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall in 2016