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PRESS RELEASE

No.she055June 19, 2025

Commemorative Concert of the 55th Suntory Music Award
Jo Kondo, Composer

Suntory Hall presents the Commemorative Concert of the 55th Suntory Music Award on August 28, 2025 featuring the music of the Japanese composer Jo Kondo, the 2023 award winner, which includes the Japanese premiere of his only opera Hagoromo.

The annual Suntory Music Award, initiated in 1969, is presented to individuals or ensembles for notable contributions to the development of Western-style music in Japan. Jo Kondo is one of the most prominent Japanese composers internationally and his unique compositional methods and way of perceiving music continue to have a profound influence on the next generation.

Most recently, the focus on Kondo’s music in Composium 2023 at Tokyo Opera City was an opportunity to gain an overview of the composer today; in 2024, Kondo was designated Person of Cultural Merit by the Government of Japan. Considering his collective accomplishments over the years, the Suntory Music Award selection committee decided to present the award to this composer, who continues to work with an intellect and integrity.

The programme for the commemorative concert will include the long-awaited Japanese premiere of Hagoromo (1994), a one-act opera for mezzo-soprano, narrator, dancer, solo flute, female chorus, and orchestra that has been highly acclaimed in Europe since its premiere at the Maggiore Musicale in Florence, Italy. The opera, based on the ancient Japanese legend of Hagoromo and known as a Noh play, will be performed on the stage of Suntory Hall by an outstanding lineup conducted by Pierre-André Valade. Furthermore, prior to the performance, a documentary film “A SHAPE OF TIME - the composer Jo Kondo” (2016) will be screened in the Blue Rose (Small Hall).

Details of Commemorative Concert of the 55th Suntory Music Award can be found at the following:
https://www.suntory.com/culture-sports/suntoryhall/article/detail/001701.html

For further information and press photos, please contact:
suntoryhall-pr@suntory.co.jp
Public Relations, Suntory Hall

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