The Hibiya Festival has firmly established itself as one of Tokyo’s cultural stars since its debut in 2018.
The wide range of engaging performances on offer attract millions of participants and viewers every year. Free entry, comfortable outdoor venues and spectacular performances all add to the draw of this electric event! However, this year, due to the government-imposed state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures, the in-person performances and events scheduled for the Hibiya Festival 2021 were cancelled.
To help those artists who have lost their platforms to perform, Hibiya Festival organizers—which include leading real estate company Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary Tokyo Midtown Management Co., Ltd.—launched on YouTube with HIBIYA FES CHANNEL. They have regularly been uploading videos of performances and events, which are available for you to enjoy—wherever you are in the world!
Originally planned to run from April 29 to May 16, the festival will now continue until October 31, with content being uploaded on the YouTube channel regularly.
Digital Opera
In a June 16 press release, Mitsui Fudosan and Tokyo Midtown Management announced that they will be uploading an opera concert video to the HIBIYA FES CHANNEL. The stunning performance was filmed collaboratively by members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York and Mihoko Kinoshita, a soprano singer in the Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation. The performers chose three arias (solo vocal pieces) from the most popular opera repertoire in the world. The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra recorded these arias in New York and Kinoshita sung and filmed the accompanying videos in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, resulting in a beautiful collaborative piece full of originality.
Live discussion
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra was formed in 1883 and is regarded as one of the greatest performing ensembles in the world. The talented musicians are from a range of countries across the world, including harpist Mariko Anraku, the only Japanese member of the group.
Mihoko Kinoshita studied at the Musashino Academy of Music and trained at the Nikikai Opera Studio. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding performances, such as first prize at the Music Competition of Japan, Idemitsu Music Award, and New Nippon Steel’s Fresh Artist award, among many others.
For those interested in hearing from this group of esteemed musicians about the difficulties—and possibilities—of collaborating in different spaces and time zones, the YouTube video is not the only thing to look forward to. Prior to the upload of the video, Hibiya Festival 2021 will be live streaming an Online Talk Session between Kinoshita and four musicians from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at 9:30 pm on Friday, June 18.
In this live discussion, you will have an exclusive preview of part of the video, as well as musical insight and thought-provoking conversation from the performers themselves.
To watch other Hibiya Festival 2021 performances, please visit the HIBIYA FES CHANNEL
For more information about Hibiya Festival 2021:
