A series of concerts was established in 2007 with the aim of providing opportunities for children (from “0” years of age) to watch and listen to orchestras performing in a full-sized concert hall. The programmes include well-known classical works and songs for audience-participation, making each concert an occasion for the whole family to enjoy together. The orchestra is joined by ‘Zoorasian Brass’, a popular brass quintet with musicians disguised as animals (lion, zebra etc.).
In 2010 the concert series received the Himawari Medal of Honour (Group Category), winning recognition for a project that has made a significant contribution towards the promotion of classical music through successive generations.

Subscription Concerts for Children have been held four times a year since 2002. The programme is compiled by the conductor, orchestra and the staff of Suntory Hall. Each year children are invited to compose the theme music played at the beginning of each concert and to submit illustrations to be used for the leaflets. Children are also selected to work as reception staff and soloists, encouraging maximum child-participation. This is the first ever ‘Subscription Concert for Children’ in Japan and it has received wide-ranging acclaim for both the programming and performances.

The orchestra extends an invitation to (5 pairs of 10 people) students and younger than 18 years old to attend the concerts of the Subscription Concerts, Kawasaki Subscription Concerts and Tokyo Opera City Series. Following the concert, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in fan communication with the orchestra members and conductor.

This programme is open to primary school students, aged under 18.
In principle, elementary and junior high school students should apply in pairs with a parent or guardian.
For high school students applying with a group of friends, please have a parental consent form ready.
Please be advised that all applications must be submitted in person. Please be advised that proxy applications will not be accepted.

The winners will be informed of their invitation at least one week prior to the performance.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Project for the Promotion of Children’s Development through Arts and Culture, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, and schools in various regions have asked us to run music appreciation classes at halls and various schools for students from primary school to university.
In Kawasaki City, the company runs music classes at the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall and Teatro Giglio Showa for around 12,000 primary schoolchildren

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has been teaching music in schools.In Niigata City, the orchestra has visited primary schools since 1999, giving music lessons with performances. So far, the orchestra has visited about 100 primary schools in Niigata City.

With the aim of promoting the image “Kawasaki – City of Music”, the TSO in collaboration with Kawasaki City, arranges concerts in the local area. These concerts feature small ensemble groups and are designed to introduce classical music to the people of Kawasaki.

‘TSO Mini Concert’ is a lunchtime concert series given free of charge by members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra at “Galleria” in Muza Kawasaki, the home of the orchestra. The concerts last for ca. 30 minutes and the programme is created so that classical music can become readily accessible to the public and enable those who have never listened to classical music to enjoy the experience.

Under the banner of ‘Barrier-free music’, the Orchestra gave concerts that brought together the diverse people who make up society. The programme included outreach activities combining ‘mini-concerts & orchestral experience using VR equipment’ in social care facilities, ‘seats with sensory sound system’, ‘sign language interpretation’ and ‘subtitles’ for the hearing-impaired to aid enjoyment, and an explanation and guide to the venue for those who were anxious about being in a new place for the first time. The pre-show programmes have been designed to provide a fulfilling musical experience for all, including a pre-show programme for those who are apprehensive about visiting the venue for the first time, to help them prepare for their visit.

The Kawasaki Suite was created as part of the ‘Kawasaki♪Drake Music Project’, a collaboration between the City of Kawasaki, the British Council and the British arts organisation Drake Music, and was created over a period of two months through a total of 20 workshops involving students from special schools in Kawasaki, teachers, musicians and orchestra members from Japan and the UK. The world premiere of the new composition ‘Kawasaki Suite’ for orchestra took place as the finale of Festa Sama MUZA KAWASAKI 2021.

In 2022, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra conducted an inclusive and creative music workshop open to everyone regardless of disability, and together with jazz musicians, led the music-making process and gave a public performance at the “Kawasaki JAZZ” event with general participants. The following year, under the leadership of Kawasaki City, the Inclusive Music Project was developed as an activity to expose many city residents to inclusive music in familiar places such as schools, institutions and events in Kawasaki City under the message of “Iroiro Neiro”. Members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra also take part in the ‘Iroiro Neiro JAM’, where people with and without disabilities, professionals and amateurs, play music together and perform as performers.

With the aim of creating opportunities for continuous learning and contributing to the development and improvement of a creative and individualised community, the orchestra runs music courses with lectures in programmes planned by the orchestra members themselves.

In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra initiated a series of charity concerts. These concerts have been enthusiastically received and are now a regular feature on the TSO calendar. Admission is free but the audience is asked to give a charitable donation. Ensemble performances have included string quartets, brass quintets, two cellos with bass-guitar and many other instrumental combinations. The money raised by the audience is used to assist disaster victims through the Foundation for International Development/Relief (FIDR).

In March 2013 members of the orchestra travelled to the town of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture to give a concert at a local high school to support the afflicted area. This concert was made possible by sponsorship from the Rohm Music Foundation and Rohm Semiconductor Cooperation. Orchestra members, staff and the conductor all participated on a voluntary basis.

In collaboration with the Kawasaki Science Museum for Boys and Girls (Kawasaki Space and Green Science Museum),The concert is held every year under the star-filled sky of the planetarium.

The first subscription concert was broadcast live on nico nico Live in 2012, followed by a live broadcast of the Corona Disaster in 2020, which was watched by around 200,000 people and attracted attention for its new way of connecting with other viewers through real-time commentary. In December 2022, a performance of the Ninth was broadcast from 45 cameras, the largest number in history, and attracted much attention.