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2026 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (2026OMF) – Official Program Announcement

We are pleased to announce the lineup for the 2026 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (2026OMF), which will be held over 18 days from Sunday, August 16 to Wednesday, September 2, 2026.

This year’s festival, now in its 35th year, will present four Orchestra Concerts, three Chamber Concerts, as well as the OMF Chamber Music Masterclass along with an Educational Program for elementary and junior high school students across Nagano Prefecture.

The Orchestra Concerts will welcome OMF Principal Guest Conductor Mo. Nodoka Okisawa and Mo. François-Xavier Roth, who makes his OMF debut, presenting works by Messiaen and Bruckner. The Chamber Concerts will offer a program commemorating the 30th anniversary of Toru Takemitsu’s passing.

We invite you once again to look forward to ”Summer in Matsumoto” and diverse programs that only the OMF can offer.

●Orchestra Concert - Kissei Bunka Hall
〈Orchestra Concert Program A〉
OMF Principal Guest Conductor Nodoka Okisawa will lead the Saito Kinen Orchestra (SKO) in a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, a monumental masterpiece of 20th-century music.

This work has a deep connection with Seiji Ozawa, OMF Founder and Eternal Director. In 1962, Ozawa conducted the Japanese premiere with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the supervision of the composer. Then in 1967, again with Messiaen present, he recorded a landmark performance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra—an interpretation still regarded as definitive.

This will be Mo. Okisawa’s first time to conduct the work. Following the acclaim she received for last year’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten, Mo. Okisawa x SKO collaboration returns to tackle another major 20th-century work—sure to be a highlight of the summer.

The piano soloist will be Keigo Mukawa, who is based in France and highly regarded both domestically and internationally. For the Ondes Martenot, we welcome Takashi Harada, a leading performer who has played Turangalîla more than 350 times in 20 countries.

〈Orchestra Concert Program B〉
In Orchestra Concert Program B, Mo. François-Xavier Roth makes his OMF debut conducting SKO in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 (Haas edition).

Mo. Roth is a French maverick who founded the orchestra Les Siècles, which performs works from the 17th century to contemporary music, and has won numerous prestigious awards. He is regularly invited by orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Mo. Roth has served as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the SWR Symphony Orchestra since 2025, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra since 2017.

Mo. Roth focused intensively on Bruckner’s symphonies between 2019 and 2023, releasing recordings of six out of the nine symphonies. His distinctive interpretations attracted considerable attention. Symphony No. 8, often described as the pinnacle of Bruckner’s spiritual expression, promises to reveal a fresh perspective through Roth’s uniquely imaginative structural approach.

●Chamber Concerts —The Harmony Hall

〈Chamber Concert I〉
Day 1 features Toru Takemitsu’s A Way A Lone and Entre-temps, paired with works by Ravel. Keigo Mukawa will join for the Piano Trio. Known for his deep affinity for French modern music and his complete recordings of Ravel’s piano works, Mukawa’s chamber music is highly anticipated.

〈Chamber Concert II〉
Day 2 presents Takemitsu’s Air and And Then I Knew ’Twas Wind, along with works by Debussy, whom Takemitsu deeply admired. Mukawa will again appear as pianist for Debussy’s Cello Sonata.

〈Chamber Concert III〉
On the third day, you will have the rare opportunity to hear the organ—considered the symbol of the Harmony Hall—for the first time in 18 years, since the 2008 Toru Takemitsu Memorial Concert. A rich variety of sounds will emerge from the collaboration between the SKO members and the organ.

Orchestra Concert

Orchestra Concert Program A

Aug. 22, 2026 (Sat) 15:00
Aug. 23, 2026 (Sun) 15:00
Kissei Bunka Hall (Nagano-ken Matsumoto Bunka Kaikan)

Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie

Saito Kinen Orchestra
Conductor: Nodoka Okisawa
Piano: Keigo Mukawa
Ondes Martenot: Takashi Harada

Orchestra Concert Program B

Aug. 29, 2026 (Sat) 15:00
Aug. 30, 2026 (Sun) 15:00
Kissei Bunka Hall (Nagano-ken Matsumoto Bunka Kaikan)

Bruckner: Symphony No.8 in C minor, WAB 108 (Haas edition)

Saito Kinen Orchestra
Conductor: François-Xavier Roth

Chamber Concert

Chamber Concert I

- Ravel and Takemitsu — Ravel et Takemitsu -

Aug. 25, 2026 (Tue) 18:30
The Harmony Hall

Ravel: Sonata for violin and cello
　Violin: Federico Agostini
　Cello: Hiroyasu Yamamoto

Takemitsu: “A Way a Lone”
　Violin: Julien Szulman, Machiko Shimada
　Viola: Koichi Yokomizo
　Cello: Sumire Kudo

Takemitsu: “Entre-temps”
　Oboe: Philippe Tondre
　Violin: Julien Szulman, Machiko Shimada
　Viola: Koichi Yokomizo
　Cello: Sumire Kudo

Ravel: Trio for piano, violin and cello in E minor
　Violin: Tatsuya Yabe
　Cello: Dai Miyata
　Piano: Keigo Mukawa

Chamber Concert II

- Debussy and Takemitsu — Debussy et Takemitsu -

Aug. 28, 2026 (Fri) 18:30
The Harmony Hall

Debussy: Première rhapsodie
　Clarinet: Ricardo Morales
　Piano: Keigo Mukawa

Takemitsu: “Air”
　Flute: Sébastian Jacot

Debussy: Sonata for cello and piano
　Cello: Dai Miyata
　Piano: Keigo Mukawa

Takemitsu: “And then I knew 'twas Wind”
　Flute: Sébastian Jacot
　Viola: Yoshiko Kawamoto
　Harp: Naoko Yoshino

Debussy: String Quartet in G minor
　Violin: Jennifer Gilbert, Chisako Naoe
　Viola: Yasushi Toyoshima
　Cello: Nobuko Yamazaki