ABOUT USKAJIMOTO History

HISTORY

1951

May 1: Naoyasu Kajimoto founded Kajimoto Concert Management in Sonezaki, Osaka.
Embarked on artist management, planning and production as well as concert management.

1952

Open the second office in Tokyo, Ginza.
Start international exchange of artists.

1955

Planning of the “Three Great Symphony Orchestra Joint Night Game Concert” at the Koshien Baseball Stadium (Osaka), featuring the Kansai Symphony Orchestra, Konoye Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Attendance was around 20,000.

1959

Production of "Kurofune" (The Black Ships), an opera by Kosaku Yamada, at the Osaka International Festival.

1967

First invitation to Japan of the prestigious Orchestre de Chambre Jean-Francois Paillard, as well as of renowned pianist Samson François.

1968

First invitation of celebrated French Chamber Orchestra in Japan : Orchestre de Chambre de Jean-Francoes Paillard.

1970

First invitation to Japan of Martha Argerich, one of today’s leading pianists.

Undertook the production and advertisement for all classical music at the Expo'70 in Osaka.

1972

Production of the opera "Hikarigoke" (Luminous Moss), written by Taijun Takeda and composed by Ikuma Dan. Premiered at the 15th Osaka International Festival.

1973

First invitation to Japan of trumpet virtuoso Maurice Andre.

1975

First invitation to Japan of an orchestra from abroad: the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa.
*Regular invitations to Japan of numerous renowned international orchestras have followed every year since.

1979

Management of Ikuma Dan's opera "Yūzuru" (Twilight Crane) during its tour to China.

1980

Naoyasu Kajimoto is honored as Knight of the National Order of Merit by the French government.

The “God of the guitar”, Andres Segovia, is invited to Japan for the first time in 21 years. (This was followed in 1982 by another visit, when Segovia was nearing 90.)

1981

*Prominent orchestras engaged in the 1980s.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Sir Georg Solti / Daniel Barenboim)
Boston Symphony Orchestra (Seiji Ozawa)
The Cleveland Orchestra (Christoph von Dohnanyi)
Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam (Eugen Jochum / Vladimir Ashkenazy)
Munchner Philharmoniker (Sergiu Celibidache)
London Philharmonic (Klaus Tenstedt)
Kolner Rundfunk - Sinfonie - Orchester (Hiroshi Wakasugi)

*Prominent pianists engaged in the 1980s.
Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Michel Beroff, Shura Cherkassky, Bruno-Leonardo Gelber, Ingrid Haebler, Radu Lupu, Rudolf Serkin, Christoph Eschenbach

The world concert tour to mark the 100th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, led by Seiji Ozawa, kicks off in Japan.

1982

Maestro Yehudi Menuhin (Violin) is invited in 1982, 1987, and 1992.

1983

Long-awaited appearance in Japan by legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, followed by another invitation in 1986. With enthusiastic fans lining up overnight to obtain high-priced tickets, the visit caused a social sensation.

1984

Invitation to Japan of Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. (This was followed by another invitation in 1988, which was to become Karajan’s last visit to Japan.)

Management of a memorial concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of Hideo Saito. This led to the establishment of the Saito Kinen Orchestra.

1985

First invitation to Japan of soprano Jessye Norman, the “diva of the century”.

1986

First invitation to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim. They were re-invited in 1990.

First invitation to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, with Eugen Jochum and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Three concerts by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Seiji Ozawa at the inauguration of Suntory Hall.

Invitation to the Munich Philharmonic, conducted by Sergiu Celibidache.

1987

First invitation to Japan of soprano Kathleen Battle.

Management of the Saito Kinen Orchestra’s first tour to Europe.

1991

*Prominent orchestras engaged in the 1990s.
New York Philharmonic (Kurt Masur)
London Symphony Orchestra (Myung-Whun Chung, Sir Colin Davis)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Herbert Blomstedt)
Bamberger Symphoniker (Horst Stein)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Tadaaki Otaka)
Orchestre national de Lyon (Emmanuel Krivine)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Armin Jordan)
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (David Zinman)
Minnesota Orchestra (Eiji Oue)
Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (Charles Dutoit)
The Cleveland Orchestra (Christoph von Dohnanyi)

*Prominent pianists engaged in the 1990s.
Friedrich Gulda, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Ivo Pogorerich, Alfred Brendel, Maria Joan Pires, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nelson Freire, Andras Schiff, Radu Lupu

Invitation of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Claudio Abbado, as well as renowned pianist Murray Perahia, for a series of concerts featuring Beethoven’s complete piano concertos and Schubert’s complete symphonies.

1992

Masahide Kajimoto succeeds his father as President, and Naoyasu Kajimoto takes on the role of Chairman.

Legendary pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli is invited to Japan for the first time in 12 years to give recitals and also to perform as soloist with the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Sergiu Celibidache.

First invitation to another giant of the piano Alfred Brendel.

1994

Invitation to the world famous New York Philharmonic.
Invitation to Orchestre National de Lyon conducted by Emmanuel Krivine.

1995

Organization of The Pierre Boulez Festival in Tokyo, which was comprised of 13 performances reflecting 20th century music as well as looking towards 21st century music.

<Orchestra>
London Symphony Orchestra, Chikago Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble InterCotemporain

<Conductor>
Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Micahel Tilson - Thomas, David Robertson

<Instruments>
Maurizio Pollini, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Gidon Kremer

<Soprano>
Jessye Norman

<Chorus>
The Swingle Singers

<Live electronics>
IRCAM

1996

First invitation of London Symphony Orchestra with Myung Whung Chung.

1997

First invitation to Japan of the Opera National de Lyon conducted by Kent Nagano to perform the opening series of concerts at the inauguration of Tokyo Opera City, as well as to perform a concert version of Bizet's "Carmen".
Organization of the “Homage to the Piazzola” Japan tour, featuring violinist Gidon Kremer.

1998

Organization of the cultural program for the Nagano Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Organization of the NHK Symphony's North American tour with conductor Charles Dutoit.

1999

First invitation to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with Herbert Blomstedt.

2000

Organization of the great maestro Gunther Wand’s final tour to Japan (orchestra: NDR Sinfonieorchester)
Launch of the Kajimoto Musikreise series, a unique music festival tour closely coordinated with the leading European music festivals.

2001

Establishment of the Paris Liaison Office.
Masahide Kajimoto is honored as Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.
Establishment of the online classical music concert ticketing service “Kajimoto e-plus”.
In commemoration of Kajimoto’s 50th anniversary, founder Naoyasu Kajimoto publishes his memoir “Oto to Hito to – Kaisou no Gojuunen” (People and Sound – Looking Back on Fifty Years).

*Prominent orchestras engaged in the 2000s.
New York Philharmonic (Lorin Maazel, Alan Gilbert)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Bernard Haitink)
The Philadelphia Orchestra (Christoph Eschenbach, Charles Dutoit)
Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (Kent Nagano)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Riccardo Chailly, Mariss Jansons)
London Symphony Orchestra (Sir Colin Davis, Daniel Harding, Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink)
Orchestre de Paris (Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Jarvi)
Orchestre national de France (Kurt Masur)
Orchestre national de Lyon (Jun Markl)
Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (Tugan Sokhiev)
NDR Sinfonieorchester (Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnanyi)
NDR Radiophilharmonie (Eiji Oue)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Riccardo Chailly)
Bamberger Symphoniker (Jonathan Nott, Herbert Blomstedt)
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Antonio Pappano)

2002

Organization of the Pollini Project 2002 in Tokyo, a series of nine concerts in collaboration with pianist Maurizio Pollini, “the embodiment of perfection” – covering the legacy of music from the Renaissance through the modern era.

<Orchestra>
London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

<Conductor>
Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly

<Piano>
Maurizio Pollini

<Ensemble>
Ensemble Wien-Berlin, Quartetto Accardo

<Chorus>
Arnold Schoenberg Choir

<Live electronics>
Centro Tempo Reale-Firenze

2004

Invitation of the Theatre du Chatelet through close collaboration with the Paris Office. Launch of the traditional yet innovative Paris Chatelet Project in Tokyo, held for three consecutive years.

*2004 Chatelet Project : Jessye Norman Mono Opera
Soprano: Jessye Norman, Conductor: Arturo Tamayo, Orchestra: Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Stage, Director: Andre Heller

2005

Establishment of the Shanghai Representative Office.
Production in collaboration of the Paris Office of La Folle Journee au Japon “Days of Enthusiasm” Music Festival held at the Tokyo International Forum. Originally founded by Rene Martin in Nantes, France, La Folle Journee has been held annually in Japan ever since, causing a sensation in the classical music world and becoming a social phenomenon.
(As of 2013, festival venues extended outside Tokyo, including Kanazawa, Niigata, Lake Biwa and Tosu.)
The theme of the 1st year of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Beethoven et ses amis

*2005 Chatelet Project II Takemitsu - My Way of Life
Conductor: Kent Nagano, Orchestra: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Baritone: Dwayne Croft, Director: Peter Mussbach etc.
(Coproduction: Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin / Theatre du Chatelet, Paris / KAJIMOTO)

2006

Organization of the Nescafe Gold Blend Presents Lucerne Festival In Tokyo 2006. Ten performances were held at Suntory Hall, including concerts with Claudio Abbado leading the Lucerne Festival Orchestra (comprised of prominent soloists, chamber musicians and orchestral principals from major orchestras), as well as chamber music and recitals by orchestra members and Maurizio Pollini (piano).
Invitation to Japan of legendary maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt for the first time in 26 years. Performances with the Vienna Philharmonic as well as the Concentus Musicus Wien were compelling and deeply moving.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Mozart et ses amis

*2006 Chatelet Project III Les Paladins
Conductor: William Christie, Orchestra/Chorus: Les Arts Florissants, Mise en scene/Choregraphie: Jose Montalvo, Dominique Hervieu, Soprano: Stephanie d'Oustrac, etc

2007

Masahide Kajimoto was honored as Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the Italian Ambassador to Japan.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: L'harmonie des peuples

2008

Organization of a recital by celebrated soprano Kiri Te Kanawa in Beijing.
Invitation to Japan of conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. There was a great response from the Japanese public to the music education program El Sistema, which nurtured both Dudamel and the orchestra members.
Organization of Le Journal Musical de Chopin, produced by René Martin, in which all of Chopin’s works for piano were covered in venues throughout Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. (The Journal series was held to great acclaim in the same cities once more in 2010, this time with works by French impressionist composers.)
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Schubert a Vienne

2009

he company name is shortened to KAJIMOTO, and in collaboration with creative director Kashiwa Sato, everything from the logo to the brand image representing the company was redesigned.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Bach et L'Europe

2010

Organization of performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Budapest Festival Orchestra at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Maestro Harnoncourt came on his last tour to Japan with the Concentus Musicus Wien.
Organization of Martha Argerich Celebrations 2010, during which Argerich performed four concertos over two nights.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: L'univers de Chopin

2011

Establishment of the Beijing Representative Office.
Organization of tours in Japan and China for several orchestras including the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, conducted by Antonio Pappano, and the Orchestre de Paris, led by Paavo Jarvi.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Les Titans

2012

Organization of Pollini Perspectives 2012 in Tokyo, in which Maurizio Pollini paired Beethoven with contemporary music to explore the “innovation of music” (Six Concerts).
Organization of Pollini’s recital in Beijing (joint venture with NCPA).
Successfully carried out the management of the NHK Symphony Orchestra led by Tadaaki Otaka on their tour to China.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Le Sacre Russe

2013

Organization of tours in China and Korea for the Munich Philharmonic, conducted by Lorin Maazel.
Organization of tours in China for the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.
Frans Brüggen came on his last tour to Japan with the 18th Century Orchestra.
The Ensemble intercontemporain is invited to Japan for the first time in 18 years (Tokyo and Shizuoka).
First invitation to Japan of Cameron Carpenter, the first solo organist in history to be nominated for a Grammy award.
The theme of La Folle Journée in Tokyo: Paris, l'heure exquise

Launch of “Lucerne Festival Ark Nova” in Matsushima to support the areas hit by the 2011 earthquake. The festival is held in a portable concert hall designed by the architect Arata Isozaki and the sculptor Anish Kapoor.

Akiko Suwanai founded the International Music Festival NIPPON of which he is also the artistic director.

Invitation of Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Tetsuji Honna) to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam.

Invitation of El Sistema Youth Orchestra of Caracas to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Venezuela.

Organized the return concerts of the legendary pianist Radu Lupu.

Tours of Bernard Haitink & London Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Paavo Järvi & Orchestre de Paris, Charles Dutoit & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Michiyoshi Inoue & St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.

2014

Organization of “Lucerne Festival Ark Nova 2014 in Sendai”.

Organization of 3rd International Music Festival NIPPON with its artistic director Akiko Suwanai.

András Schiff gave a charity recital at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, and donated his performance fee to the areas hit by the earthquake in 2011.

Makoto Ozone made his debut at New York Philharmonic as the first Japanese solo pianist in the orchestra’s history.

Tours of Alan Gilbert & New York Philharmonic, Riccardo Chailly & Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin & Orchestre National de Lyon, Kent Nagano & Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Antonio Pappano & Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

10th anniversary of “La Folle Journée au Japon”, featuring ten popular composers who had fascinated the audience in previous years.

2015

Organization of “Lucerne Festival Ark Nova 2015 in Fukushima”.

Organization of “Music for Peace” concerts to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War II and the atomic bombing. Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra led by Kazuyoshi Akiyama performed for it with the world class pianist Martha Argerich.

Invitation of Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra of Venezuela to mark the 40th anniversary of the foundation of El Sistema.

Second tour of China Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Long Yu, after a 13-year absence.

Organized the return concert of the Latin Grammy winning Flamenco singer Diego El Cigala after a 10-year absence.

Organization of “2001: A Space Odyssey, Live Cinema Concert” with screen projections.

Tours of Thomas Hengelbrock & NDR Sinfonieorchester, Bernard Haitink & London Symphony Orchestra, Tugan Sokhiev & Deutsches Simphonie Orchester Berlin and Gustavo Gimeno & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

11th edition of “La Folle Journée au Japon”. With “PASSIONS”, the festival started to propose a wider, more adventurous theme to the audience.

2016

Organization of return concert of opera diva Anna Netrebko after an 11-year absence.

Organizing of 4th International Music Festival NIPPON with its artistic director Akiko Suwanai.

Management of “Pollini Project - Berio, Boulez and Beethoven” concerts at Spring Festival in Tokyo, during Maurizio Pollini’s stay in Japan for several recitals.

Invitation of Chick Corea for his concerts with Makoto Ozone.

Organizing of “Toru Takemitsu Tribute: Cinema Music Concert” produced by his daughter Maki Takemitsu, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Tours of Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin & Orchestre National de Lyon, Herbert Blomstedt & Bamberger Symphoniker and Daniel Harding & Orchestre de Paris.

12th edition of “La Folle Journée au Japon” focusing on the multiple relationships between music and nature.

Naoyasu Kajimoto, founder of KAJIMOTO, passed away on May 1.

PAGEUP