New York’s Carnegie Hall hosts J-Orchestra Concert on Friday, July 18, 2025 at 8 pm at Stern Auditorium - Perelman Stage. https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2025/07/18/J-Orchestra-0800PM
Free admission. Children of all ages are welcome.
J-Orchestra Concert is presented by Yamajo Co., Ltd, and under the auspices of the Consulate-General of Japan in New York.
J-Orchestra's 100 members believe music is essential for humankind in the same way that medicine is. Because the orchestra is primarily consist of medical professionals and medical students in Tokyo, Japan. After years of travel restrictions in the world, the orchestra is crossing borders to deliver symphonies.
Program：
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
ELGAR Pomp and Circumstance
Performers：
J-Orchestra https://j-orchestra.com/
Toshio Yanagisawa, Conductor
Ikuyo Nakamichi, Piano
MC:
Yuki Sakamoto
J-Orchestra is a symphony orchestra made up primarily of healthcare professionals and medical students in Japan. Formed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ensemble was created to help rebuild the connections and empathy that were strained during that time.
The pandemic reminded the public that trust and human connection are essential to society—and that music has a unique power to restore both. With this belief, J-Orchestra seeks to foster emotional resonance and healing through performance, rekindling a passion for music that was put on hold.
Their mission extends beyond the stage. Drawing on their backgrounds in medicine, they are also developing community outreach efforts to make a positive social impact through music.
Toshio Yanagisawa was appointed Chief Conductor of the Kosovo Philharmonic under the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. He also founded the Balkan Chamber Orchestra, a cross-cultural ensemble dedicated to fostering harmony in the post-conflict regions of the former Yugoslavia.
With this group, he has performed at prestigious venues including the United Nations Office at Geneva, as well as in Vienna, Rome, New York, and other international cities.
He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Pascal Rogé and Akiko Suwanai, and his contributions to music and peacebuilding have been recognized with the Presidential Medal of Kosovo and the Foreign Minister’s Commendation from the Government of Japan.
Maestro Yanagisawa also serves as conductor of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, established by composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to support communities recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Ikuyo Nakamichi is one of Japan’s most celebrated pianists, renowned for her expressive artistry and exceptional musical insight. A laureate of both the Music Competition of Japan and the Geneva International Music Competition, she has performed with leading orchestras in Japan and abroad.
And Nakamichi continues to captivate audiences through her acclaimed recital series and recordings.
Her ambitious project, The Road to 2027, is a multi-year recital series in tribute to Beethoven, leading up to the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death. Nakamichi’s extensive discography includes the complete Beethoven piano sonatas and concertos.
She serves as Professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music and Specially Appointed Professor at Osaka College of Music. Among her many honors are the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award and the Grand Prize at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival.
Yuki Sakamoto, originally from Hiroshima, Japan, graduated from Sophia University. She started her career as a TV show host for MEZAMASHI TV (Fuji television), Business Click (TBS), and Nippon no Geinou (NHK) before expanding her career as an actress in dramas, theatre and commercials. Since coming to the U.S, she has continued with her acting career in films and commercials and is known for her role in Dead Wax (Shudder TV).
