Asia Orchestra Week 2025
What is “Asia Orchestra Week” (AOW)?
A distinguished violinist from South Korea eloquently described the event, likening the diverse instruments of an orchestra to individual countries: “It promotes harmony among Asian nations and unites different cultures”.（※１）In a world sinking deeper into confusion, such invaluable experiences continue to be accumulated through music.
AOW is the world's first international festival dedicated to orchestras in the Asia-Pacific region. Now in its 24th year as part of the ACA National Arts Festival, AOW has welcomed over 60 orchestras from 16 countries and regions—including China, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand. This makes the event unparalleled in scale and significance worldwide.
In a landmark first, this year’s festival will be held in Hyogo Prefecture. Debuting at the event are the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra—recognized for its academic programs nurturing young musicians—and the prestigious Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, renowned for its rich artistic legacy.
ⓒshim kyutai
※1“In the complex world situation, Asia Orchestra Week is a significant event that promotes harmony among Asian nations through the language of music, particularly orchestral music. Like the instruments in an orchestra coming together to create beautiful music, this event aims to unite different cultures through the universal language of music.”
Min Kim
Music Director
Korean Chamber Orchestra
©Fujimoto Fumiaki
Queensland Orchestra with William Barton,
didgeridoo player, performing Peter Sculthorpe’s Mangrove (2002)
©Fujimoto Fumiaki
Nusantara Symphony Orchestra collaborating with gamelan,
the traditional music of Indonesia (2005)
©Fujimoto Fumiaki
Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra performing
Chen Qigang’s Iris dévoilée (2005)
©Fujimoto Fumiaki
Joint concert by Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
and Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tom Woods and Yamashita Kazufumi, the conductors,
raise the message written, ‘By Power of music, We will advance Together’.
(2011, at Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai Concert Hall)
©Fujimoto Fumiaki
Ryukyu Symphony Orchestra performing Nakamura Toru’s KAJADEFU
For Ryukyu Traditional Music, Classical Dance and Orchestra (2022)
ASIA ORCHESTRA WEEK
2002～2025
| Year | Country / Region | Orchestra | Conductor | Soloist | Venue Outreach Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▼ 2002-2006 | |||||
| 2002 | Thailand | Bangkok Symphony Orchestra | Hikotaro Yazaki | Indhuon Srikaranonda (Pf) | Tokyo |
| The Philippines | Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra | Ruggero Barbieri | Renato Lucas (Vc) | Tokyo | |
| Australia | Queensland Orchestra | Michael Christie | Andrea Lam (Pc) | Tokyo | |
| China | China National Symphony Orchestra | Li Xincao | Li Chuan Yun (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| Korea | Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra | Lim Hun Joungl | Beak Ju Young (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| 2003 | Turkey | Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra | Komatsu Kazuhiko | Emre Elivar (Pf) | Saitama |
| Mongolia | Mongolian State Philharmonics Symphony Orchestra | Namsraijav Butenbayar, Yamashita Kazufumi |
Zayat Oyunbileg (Sop), Purevjav Ganbat (Br), Delgersaihan Tuvshinsaihan (Morin khuur) | Tokyo, Wako High School | |
| New Zealand | New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | James Judd | Helen Medlyn (Sop) | Osaka, Nagao Junior High School, Sakai City Hall | |
| Japan | All Kansai Orchestra | Hikotaro Yazaki, Kazufumi Yamashita | Osaka | ||
| Singapore | Singapore Symphony Orchestra | Lan Shui | Lee-Chin Siow (Vn) | Osaka, Tezukayama Gakuen | |
| Korea | Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra | Eunseong Park | Yeoleum Son (Pf) | Osaka, Hakutō Gakuin | |
| China | Tianjin Symphony Orchestra | Yang Li | Xie Nam (Vn) | Osaka, International Music Association | |
| 2004 | China | Shanghai Symphony Orchestra | Chen Xieyang | Huang Menla (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture University and Osaka Women's University Symphony Orchestra (Joint) |
| Korea | Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra | Kim Hong Je | Yang Sung-Won (Vc), Kang Kwon Soon (Sop) | Tokyo, Osaka, Ookubo Minami Elementary School | |
| Vietnam | Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra | Honna Tetsuji | Bui Cong Duy (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka, Ashiya Symphony Orchestra | |
| Malaysia | National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia | Mustafa Fuzer Nawi | Mohram, Muzaffar Abdullah (Pf) | Tokyo, Osaka, Panasonic Choir | |
| Japan | Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra | Hiroyuki Iwaki | Osaka | ||
| 2005 | Australia | Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra | Sebastian Lang-Lessing | Diana Doherty (Ob) | Tokyo, Osaka, Ikeda Kita High School |
| China | Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra | Long Yu | Augustin Dumay (Vn), Ma Shuai (Peking opera singer), Ying Huang (Sop), Zhengrong Cui (Sop), Wang Nan (Erhu), Ge Yong (Pipa), Sun Xin (Guzheng) | Tokyo, Osaka, Japan-China Friendship Group | |
| Indonesia | Nusantara Symphony Orchestra | Edward Van Ness, Yazaki Hikotaro | Ananda Sukarlan (Pf), Ida Ayu Wayan Prihandari (Balinese Dance) | Tokyo, Osaka, Gamelan Group | |
| Korea | Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra | Shinik Hahm | Dongsuk Kang (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka, Oji Daisan Elementary School | |
| Japan | Century Orchestra Osaka | Kazuhiro Koizumi | Michiko Akao (Yokobue) | Osaka | |
| 2006 | Australia | Sydney Symphony | Gianluigi Gelmetti | José Carbo (Br) | Tokyo, Osaka, Ichioka High School |
| Korea | Korean Symphony Orchestra | Tae-Young Park | Judy Kang (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka, Fujiidera Minami Elementary School | |
| China | Heilongjiang Symphony Orchestra of Harbin | Bian Zushan | Yang Xiaoyu (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka, Yuhigaoka High School | |
| Japan | International Performing Arts Festival Orchestra | Heiichiro Ohyama | Masashi Togame (Cl), Yoshiki Hakoyama (Tb) | Tokyo | |
| ▼ 2007-2011 | |||||
| 2007 | Korea | KBS Symphony Orchestra | Chang Yun-Sung | Kim Sun-Wook (Pf) | Tokyo, Osaka |
| China | Kunming Symphony Orchestra | Li Xincao | Tokyo | ||
| India / Sri Lanka | India-Sri Lanka Goodwill Orchestra | Yazaki Hikotaro | Harsha Makalanda (Pf), Ravibandhu Vidyapath (Per), Jananath Warakagoda (Per) | Tokyo | |
| 2008 | China | Sichuan Symphony Orchestra | Tang Qingshi | Chen Xi (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra | Tran Vuong Thach | Tra Nguyen (Pf) | Tokyo, Osaka | |
| Korea | Busan Philharmonic Orchestra | Alexander Anissimov | Dennis Kim (Soloist) | Tokyo, Osaka, Kitano Senior High School | |
| 2009 | Thailand | Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra | Prateep Suphanrojn, Gudni A.Emilsson | Tapalin Charoensook (Vc), Paron Yuenyong (Ranad) | Tokyo |
| China | Wuhan Orchestra | Liu Peng | Chen Jie (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Korea | Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra | Chen Zuohuang | Shin A-Rah (Vn), Kim Ji Sung (Org) | Tokyo, Osaka | |
| 2010 | Turkey | Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra | Rengim Gökmen | Kazune Shimizu (Pf), Görkem Ezgi Yildirim (Sop) | Tokyo |
| Korea | Gwangju Symphony Orchestra | Koo Jahbom | Clara Jumi Kang (Vn) | Tokyo, Osaka | |
| 2011 | Korea | Daegu Symphony Orchestra | Kwak Sung | Yi Yun-Kyoung (Sop), Tokyo Ladies’ Singers (Chorus) | Tokyo |
| New Zealand | Christchurch Symphony Orchestra | Tom Woods | John Chen (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra | Kazufumi Yamashita | Yuya Tsuda (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Joint Performance | Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra & Christchurch Symphony Orchestra | Kazufumi Yamashita, Tom Woods | Sendai, Miyagi | ||
| ▼ 2012-2016 | |||||
| 2012 | Korea | City of Mokpo Symphony Orchestra | Yoon Il Jin | Da Sol Kim (Pf) | Tokyo |
| Vietnam | Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra | Christian Schumann | Luu Hong Quang (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Kyushu Symphony Orchestra | Chikara Iwamura | Ryoko Yano (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| 2013 | The Philippines | Manila Philharmonic Orchestra | Rodel Colmenar | Dingdong Fiel (Pf) | Tokyo |
| New Zealand | Southern Sinfonia | Simon Over | Stephen De Pledge (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Yamagata Symphony Orchestra | Norichika Iimori | Lina Matsuda (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| 2014 | Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra | Tran Vuong Thach | Nguyen Huu Nguyen (Vn) | Tokyo |
| Korea | Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra | Shi Yeon Sung | William Youn (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra | Kentaro Kawase | Hibiki Tamura (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Joint Performance | Nagoya Philharmonic & Ho Chi Minh City Symphony | Tran Vuong Thach, Kentaro Kawase | Natori, Miyagi | ||
| 2015 | China | China National Symphony Orchestra | Li Xincao | Lu Siquing (Vn) | Tokyo |
| Korea | Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra | Geum No-Sang | Kim Dami (Vn), Paul Kim (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Osaka Symphony Orchestra | Hiroshi Kodama | Tokyo | ||
| Joint Performance | Osaka Symphony & Daejeon Philharmonic | Hiroshi Kodama, Geum No-Sang | Paul Kim (Vn) | Kitakami, Iwate | |
| 2016 | Joint Performance | Central Aichi & Bangkok Symphony | Ichiro Saito, Michel Tilkin | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra | Ichiro Saito | Tokyo | ||
| Thailand | Bangkok Symphony Orchestra | Michel Tilkin | Tokyo | ||
| Korea | Changwon Philharmonic Orchestra | Park Tae Young | Bomsoli Kim (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| ▼ 2017-2021 | |||||
| 2017 | China | Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra | Liang Zhang | Jie Yan (Pf) | Tokyo |
| Malaysia | Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra | Naohisa Furusawa | Tengku Irfan (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| Japan | Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra | Conductor & Violin/Augustin Dumay | Tokyo | ||
| Joint Performance | Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra & Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra | Iwaki, Fukushima | |||
| 2018 | Joint Performance | Gunma Symphony Orchestra & Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra | Naoto Otomo, Yoshikazu Fukumura | Ryu Goto (Vn) | Kuji, Iwate |
| Japan | Gunma Symphony Orchestra | Naoto Otomo | Tokyo | ||
| The Philippines | Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra | Yoshikazu Fukumura | Kiyoshi Shomura (Gt), Ryu Goto (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| China | Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra | Yang Yang | Ning Feng (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| 2019 | Joint Performance | Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa & Hong Kong Sinfonietta | Hubert Soudant, Yip Wing-sie | Koriyama, Fukushima | |
| Japan | Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa | Hubert Soudant | Tokyo | ||
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Sinfonietta | Yip Wing-sie | Tseng Yu-Chien (Vn), 4 Dancers | Tokyo | |
| Indonesia | Jakarta City Philharmonic | Budi Utomo Prabowo | Stephanie Onggowinoto (Pf) | Tokyo | |
| 2021 | Japan | Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra | Kazuyoshi Akiyama | Momo Kodama (Pf) | Performed by Japanese orchestras due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 |
| Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra | Sachio Fujioka | Tatsuki Narita (Vn) | Tokyo | ||
| Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra | Keiko Mitsuhashi | Daisuke Oyama (Bar) | Tokyo | ||
| Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra | Kosuke Tsunoda | Ayana Tsuji (Vn) | Tokyo | ||
| ▼ 2022-2025 | |||||
| 2022 | The Philippines | Manila Symphony Orchestra | Marlon Chen | Damodar Das Castillo (Vc) | Tokyo |
| Japan | Ryukyu Symphony Orchestra | Otomo Naoto | Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts, Ryukyu Performing Arts Major Alumni Association, Traditional Okinawan music and Ryukyu dance Mami Hagiwara(Pf) |
Tokyo | |
| Korea | KBS Symphony Orchestra | Hankyeol Yoon | Bomsori Kim (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| 2023 | Japan | Chiba Symphony Orchestra | Yamashita Kazufumi | Tokyo | |
| Turkey | Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra | Gürer Aykal | Cihat Askin (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| Korea | Korean Chamber Orchestra | Min Kim (Vn) | Soyoung Yoon (Vn) | Tokyo | |
| 2024 | Japan | City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra | Otomo Naoto | LEO (Koto) | Kyoto |
| Singapore | Singapore Symphony Orchestra | Hans Graf | Hélène Grimaud (Pf) | Kyoto | |
| 2025 | Japan | Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra | Daichi Deguchi | Michie Koyama (Pf) | Hyogo |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra | Lio Kuokman | Kyohei Sorita (Pf) | Hyogo, Kanagawa | |