The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has announced its lineup for the 2027/28 season.
Dear Friends,
It is a great joy for me to welcome a new season together with the members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Throughout this past year, we have listened to one another, nurtured trust, and pursued the same artistic ideals, beginning to build a shared musical language. I look forward from the bottom of my heart to continuing this journey and growing together through each and every concert.
This season, I will present works that hold special meaning for me. Each piece opens up a different world and offers us new perspectives: the light-filled music of Schumann and Mozart, the epic symphonic worlds of Bruckner and Mahler, the rich colors of Richard Strauss, and the deep spirituality of Messiaen and Verdi. Each program will lead us through a variety of emotions, thoughts, and sonic landscapes. We will also experience the grand world of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” together, and to close the season, we will perform Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9,” which continues to speak to each of our hearts today.
What moves me most as a conductor is not just performing masterpieces, but discovering those works anew with every concert. Music changes its form depending on the time, the place, the performers, and you, the audience. That is why each performance is an irreplaceable moment that can only be born in the “here and now.”
I hope this season will be a time to share special moments with you through music, to make new discoveries together, and to create experiences that will remain in your hearts forever.
Lorenzo Viotti, 4th Music Director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Lorenzo Viotti × Tokyo Symphony Orchestra: Wagner’s masterpiece “Lohengrin (concert style)”
The long-awaited first opera project by Music Director Lorenzo Viotti and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra is Wagner’s masterpiece, “Lohengrin.” This is a joint project with Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, with one performance each at Suntory Hall and Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, for a total of two performances.
Shunske Sato: Tokyo Symphony Orchestra Creative Partner Inaugural Concert
Starting from the 2027/28 season, we welcome Mr. Shunske Sato as our Creative Partner. His inaugural concert features a carefully selected program exploring Vivaldi’s Flute Concerto “La notte,” Haydn’s Symphony No. 6 “Le Matin,” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral.” All are masterpieces inspired by nature, filled with diverse worlds, stories, colors, and emotions.
40th Anniversary of the Tokyo Symphony Chorus
Founded in September 1987, the Tokyo Symphony Chorus will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027. This year, they will perform Verdi’s “Requiem” with Music Director Lorenzo Viotti, Brahms’ “A German Requiem” with Ryusuke Numajiri, Holst’s “The Planets” with Krzysztof Urbański, and Beethoven’s “Ninth” under both Naoto Otomo and Music Director Lorenzo Viotti. In particular, Verdi’s “Requiem” was performed in April 1988 during the chorus’s first year, making it a fitting lineup for this anniversary year. The TSO Chorus, the orchestra’s exclusive choir highly trusted by successive music directors, will deliver high-quality orchestral performances with chorus.
A Magnificent Lineup of Conductors
Guest conductors include leading masters Osmo Vänskä and Pablo Heras-Casado, returning after their 2025 appearances. Other performers include Ryusuke Numajiri, Keitaro Harada, Krzysztof Urbański, and Shunske Sato (in order of appearance for Subscription and Kawasaki concerts); Gen Ota, Daichi Deguchi, and Naoto Otomo (in order of appearance for the Tokyo Opera City Series); and Taichi Fukumura, Shimpei Sasaki, Adam Hickox, and Satoshi Yoneda (in order of appearance for the Masterpiece Series).
Relocation to Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall due to Suntory Hall Closure
Due to the closure of Suntory Hall for renovation work, five subscription concerts from April to August 2027 will be held at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. For these relocated performances, the date and time will remain the same as previous subscription concerts: Saturday at
6:00 PM, held as evening performances at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. The first subscription concert after the reopening of Suntory Hall will be the “754th Subscription Concert,” featuring Verdi’s “Requiem” conducted by Music Director Lorenzo Viotti.
Introduction of the New “Viotti Seat” Project
Starting in the 2027/28 season, we will launch the “Viotti Seat” project. This initiative is being implemented at the strong request of Music Director Lorenzo Viotti, who wishes to “create opportunities for the younger generation aged 18 to 25 to experience music.” For performances featuring Music Director Lorenzo Viotti, five seats selected and purchased by the director himself will be offered to guests aged 18 to 25. Details, including how to apply, will be announced later.
● Eligible Performances: Subscription Concerts, Kawasaki Subscription Concerts, and Tokyo Opera City Series featuring Music Director Lorenzo Viotti
● Number of Guests: 5 per performance
● Eligibility: Those aged 18 to 25 on the day of the performance (Elementary, junior high, and high school students can continue to use the “Maestro Seat”)
● 2027/28 Season Brochure
● The Masterpiece Classics Series List (Links to the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall website.)
