On June 3rd, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (artistic director and principal conductor Juozas Domarkas), one of Lithuanian’s most experienced and reputable symphony orchestras, returns to Japan after eleven years for a monthly tour under the direction of internationally acclaimed young Japanese conductor Tomomi Nishimoto.

Currently sharing her time between Europe and Japan, Tomomi Nishimoto is already familiar with two Lithuanian orchestras. Last year she conducted two performances of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra in Japan and this year prepared two programmes with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra – one with South Korean opera superstar Sumi Jo and another with accomplished Serbian pianist Tamara Stefanovich. The first was presented at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall earlier this year, while the latter opened the annual Vilnius Festival last week. Both celebrated soloists will also appear with the Orchestra on its Japan tour.

From June 3rd to 28th the Orchestra will give 21 concerts in 17 Japanese cities, alternating the two programmes on its concert route from the northernmost Hokkaidō prefecture to the southern cities of Kagoshima and Miyazaki. Two times the Orchestra will perform at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, one of Japan’s most prestigious concert venues.

On this intense itinerary the Far Eastern audiences will be presented with the popular masterpieces of the Western classical music repertoire, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, Ravel’s Boléro, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Schumann’s Piano Concerto, as well as overtures and arias from the operas by Verdi and Puccini and operettas by Offenbach and Strauss.

This tour is the result of successful former collaborations between the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society and the international concert agency Samon Promotion.