The 2023 Music Pen Club Music Awards ceremony was held

The 2023 Music Pen Club Music Awards ceremony was held.
The Japan Philharmonic won the Opera Orchestra category.
[Award Announcement]

Presentation of the award certificate and plaque / Greetings from Chairman Hirai Toshikuni

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for receiving the prestigious Music Pen Club Music Award.

As the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra approaches its 70th anniversary in two years, we feel that this award has given us the impetus to take a major leap forward in preparation for this memorable year. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my deepest gratitude to the selection committee and to the audience who supports the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra every day.

Since last year, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra has welcomed the renowned Singaporean conductor Kah Chun Wong as its principal conductor. Since then, the orchestra has already performed numerous concerts, primarily with composers such as Mahler and Akira Ifukube. We believe that this award was made possible thanks to the high praise it has received. Wong approaches the score with a diligent and honest approach, revealing new aspects of a work, even if it has already been performed dozens or hundreds of times by the orchestra, bringing surprise and joy to both listeners and performers. In particular, in Mahler's works, which Wong considers his life's work, he delved deeply into the composer's complex and sometimes unconventional expressions, eliciting compelling resonance and expression from the orchestra. His performance of Symphony No. 3 at the Tokyo Regular Concert in October last year was an overwhelming success, and it remains fresh in our memory. He also has a deep passion for Asian works, particularly those of Akira Ifukube. We will explore Asian music by placing emphasis on the perspective that can only be shared by a conductor from Singapore and a Japanese orchestra, both of whom are outside the roots of classical music.

The Japan Philharmonic will continue to strive to create outstanding musical art, and will express its unique style through the performance of high-quality works based on outstanding performance skills and well-planned projects, thereby providing highly satisfying concerts for its audiences. Led by Kah Chun Wong, who is in his second year as Principal Conductor, the orchestra will strive to increase the audience for its regular concerts, centering on the unique character of the Japan Philharmonic.

We have also started a new semi-stage opera project with Friend of the JPO, Junichi Hirokami, starting with a performance of Verdi's dramatic work Un Ballo in Maschera at Suntory Hall in April of next year.

Furthermore, through collaborations with renowned and outstanding performers from Japan and abroad, including Conductor Laureate Kenichiro Kobayashi and Kazuki Yamada, with whom the orchestra shared a deep bond despite losing his post, the orchestra will present a rich variety of excellent artistic works.

The Japan Philharmonic Orchestra has always been a top orchestra that not only pursues artistic excellence but also combines social responsibility with its activities. Beginning with its steady "Music for Disaster-stricken Areas" initiative, which it has been carrying out since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the orchestra remains highly sensitive to the diverse needs of society and will continue to create a new image of the orchestra in society. Artistic and social responsibility. This diverse approach is what the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra is today, and it will continue to adhere to this foundation of activity and operate as a professional orchestra worthy of the Music Pen Club Music Award.

Thank you very much for your time.

With the award winners