Curtain falls on the 2025 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival! Join us for the 2026OMF: Aug. 16 to Sep. 8!
Opening with the "OMF Chamber Music Masterclass – Liedduo Recital –," the Saito Kinen Orchestra (SKO) presented its first opera in three years with Britten’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." Under the baton of OMF Principal Guest Conductor Nodoka Okisawa, with staging, set, and costumes by Laurent Pelly, the production was highly praised as a world-class creation from Matsumoto.
The festival also welcomed Mo. Alexander Soddy and Mo. Christoph Eschenbach for their OMF debuts in the Orchestra Concerts, while Daishin Kashimoto and members of the SKO offered brilliant chamber performances in the "Chamber Concerts." These programs were met with enthusiastic response, with approximately 11,000 guests attending the nine ticketed performances.
The long-standing Welcome Parade, held annually since the festival’s first year in 1992, this year featured 39 groups and about 1,500 participants. Carrying forward the vision of Eternal Director Seiji Ozawa, OMF continued its signature educational programs: the "Concert for Children" (conducted by Mo. Carl St.Clair) for sixth graders, and the "Opera for Children" (conducted by Mo. Diego Matheuz, Principal Conductor of the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy) for first-year secondary school students. With guidance from both conductors and SKO members, the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra performed, bringing invaluable musical experiences to more than 10,000 children.
To mark the 90th birthday of Eternal Director Seiji Ozawa, a special Seiji Ozawa Day was held on Aug. 31 following Orchestra Concert Program B. The event brought together about 400 participants, including the Matsumoto Castle Gun Corps, community choruses, and the Festival Band, coming together with the audience to celebrate this milestone. Messages of congratulations came from Ozawa’s friends in Europe and US, including an astronaut currently on board at the International Space Station (ISS).
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who attended, as well as to the volunteers, sponsors, and partners who supported the festival. We look forward to sharing music with you again in Matsumoto next year.
Olivier Messiaen’s "Turangalîla-Symphonie"
Conducted by Nodoka Okisawa | Saito Kinen Orchestra
Piano: Keigo Mukawa | Ondes Martenot: Takashi Harada
The 2026 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival will take place from Aug. 16 to Sep. 8.
OMF Principal Guest Conductor Nodoka Okisawa and the Saito Kinen Orchestra will take on Olivier Messiaen’s monumental "Turangalîla-Symphonie," a landmark of 20th-century music that will mark a new chapter in the Festival’s history. The work was given its world premiere in 1949 under Leonard Bernstein with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and its Japan premiere in 1962 conducted by Seiji Ozawa with the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Ozawa’s 1967 recording with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra remains a historic milestone.
With its vast forces of large orchestra, solo piano, and Ondes Martenot across ten movements, the "Turangalîla-Symphonie" is a work of immense scale and color. This performance will feature acclaimed pianist Keigo Mukawa, recognized for both artistry and technical brilliance, and distinguished Ondes Martenot player Takashi Harada, who has given more than 350 performances in 20 countries. Harada makes his third appearance at the Festival, following his performances in 1993 and in 2012’s "Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher."
In addition, the Festival will present a diverse lineup including orchestra concerts, chamber concerts, "Opera for Children" and "Concert for Children," as well as OMF Chamber Music Masterclass. Full program details and performance schedules will be announced at a later date. We look forward to welcoming you again to 2026OMF!
