In 1998, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra entered into a semi-residency agreement with Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, and since April 1999 has been holding the “Niigata Subscription Concerts” at the Ryutopia Niigata City Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, organised by the Niigata City Arts Foundation.

Ryutopia Niigata City Performing Arts Center has three specialized halls – a concert hall, a theatre and a Noh theatre – as well as studios and galleries, and serves as a base for the promotion of culture, music and performing arts in Niigata City. In addition, the open architecture and natural landscape promenade, hanging garden and rooftop garden are designed to connect Niigata City with the banks of the Shinano River, creating a facility where nature and cultural activities coexist in harmony.

The concert hall, which seats approximately 1,900 people, is an arena-style concert hall with the audience seated 360 degrees around the stage. Designed to create a sense of unity and realism with the stage, it has excellent acoustics for which it is highly regarded.

When the hall opened in 1998, the city considered organising regular concerts in partnership with Tokyo-based orchestras in order to make use of the concert hall and provide regular first-class orchestral performances. The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra was selected as the organiser.

Since then, TSO has held about five subscription concerts a year at the Concert Hall, as well as special concerts, lobby concerts, and “The Orchestra is Your Friend”, an arts and cultural experience project for children. The orchestra also runs a “Music Outreach” programme in which musicians visit elementary schools in Niigata City every year to give special lessons.

The first Niigata Subscription Concert was held in April 1999. In order to “realise the highest level of orchestral performance in Niigata City”, the original agreement with Niigata City was that the Niigata Subscription Concert would be held the day after the Tokyo Subscription Concert and would feature the same programme.

The Niigata Subscription Concerts feature not only the masterpieces often heard at regional concerts, but also the challenging programmes of the Tokyo Subscription Concerts. The number of subscription concerts featuring top conductors and soloists will reach 130 by 2023, with more than 160,000 visitors. Niigata is the only other city in Japan where a Tokyo-based orchestra has given 130 subscription concerts in a regional city and even introduced a subscription membership system.

Lobby concert given by TSO musicians at noon on the day of the Niigata subscription concert. Free admission, free entry and free exit, this 30-minute concert can be enjoyed by babies and young children.

From 2018, as part of the ‘Arts and Culture Experience for Children’ project, these are single 60-minute concerts featuring masterpieces of classical music, as well as film and game music familiar to children, and a light-hearted talk by the conductor. The concerts are popular with families who can enjoy high quality orchestral music at a reasonable price.

Every year since 1999, TSO musicians have visited primary schools in Niigata City to give music lessons and performances. To date, they have given more than 840 lessons.

Ryutopia Sylvester Concert is held once every four years. Each time, the concert features seasonal artists, a collaboration with the resident dance troupe, Noism, and other spectacular performances to round out the year.