Carnegie Hall Presents JapanNYC, a Festival of Japanese Arts, Launches Dec 2010

This December, Carnegie Hall launches JapanNYC, an ambitious two-part citywide festival, led by Artistic Director Seiji Ozawa, inviting audiences to explore the incredible diversity of Japanese arts and culture with more than 65 performances and events at Carnegie Hall and New York City partner venues in December 2010 and March-April 2011.

JapanNYC explores the world of Japan today, where artists embrace their country's unique aesthetic sensibilities while continually revitalizing its cultural landscape. Led by Seiji Ozawa, one of Japan's greatest cultural ambassadors, the festival explores a country that values its long-standing cultural heritage while also embracing and transforming Western arts forms, with a spirit that very much looks ahead.

The JapanNYC schedule will feature concerts by some of the Japan's finest classical music artists, including cornerstone festival performances by two ensembles founded by Mr. Ozawa-the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-juku (Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra)-in rare overseas appearances. The line-up will also include noh theater, taiko drumming, dance, art exhibitions, manga and calligraphy workshops, traditional gagaku performances, and many more musical offerings, including concerts featuring Mitsuko Uchida, Midori, Bach Collegium Japan with Masaaki Suzuki, the NHK Symphony Orchestra led by André Previn, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Kazumi Watanabe, coba, Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta, Aimi Kobayashi, and many more.

JapanNYC launches at Carnegie Hall on December 14, 15, and 18 with three concerts by the Saito Kinen Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, with music by Beethoven (Piano Concerto No. 3 with Mitsuko Uchida), Brahms (Symphony No. 1), Berlioz (Symphonie fantastique), T?ru Takemitsu (November Steps), Britten (War Requiem), and Atsuhiko Gondai (US premiere of Decathexis, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall). December also offers a major tribute to the late T?ru Takemitsu, considered to be Japan's greatest composer, with events at Carnegie Hall, Film Forum, and Columbia University's Miller Theatre.

In addition to performances at Carnegie Hall, JapanNYC extends throughout New York City, thanks to partnerships with 22 prestigious New York cultural institutions, including Absolutely Live Entertainment and New Audiences; Asian Contemporary Art Week; Asia Society; Baryshnikov Arts Center; Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Danspace Project; Film Forum; Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University; Japan Society; The Juilliard School; The New York Public Library; The Noguchi Museum; The Paley Center for Media; Paul Szilard Productions and Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance; Works & Process at the Guggenheim; and the World Music Institute, which offer presentations featuring such artists and ensembles as Kodo Drummers, Martha Graham Dance Company, Kashu-juku Noh Theater, Eiko and Koma, Juilliard Percussion Ensemble, New Juilliard Ensemble and exhibitions devoted to such visual artists as Hakuin Ekaku and Isamu Noguchi.

Free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts at partner venues-Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts; Abrons Art Center at Henry Street Settlement; LaGuardia Performing Arts Center; and Lehman Stages at Lehman College in the Bronx-will ensure that JapanNYC is accessible to all.

JapanOC in Southern California: Extending beyond New York and following the success of its bicoastal Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture in fall 2009, Carnegie Hall will continue its East Coast-West Coast partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County for a second consecutive year. Select artists appearing in JapanNYC will also perform this season at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, as part of JapanOC, a West Coast festival presented by the Philharmonic Society from October 2010 through April 2011, thanks to the generous support of South Coast Plaza. JapanOC will feature a variety of arts events and musical performances representing the vibrant expanse of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, made possible through collaborations with prominent Southern California cultural institutions. For more information on JapanOC festival offerings visit philharmonicsociety.org/JapanOC.