During the performance
Conductor Toshiki Tsumuraya
After the Concert, Assembling all members
This concert is being held as part of Promusica’s project “All Bach Cantatas,” in which the group aims to perform all the cantatas composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. This is set to be a huge project spanning 20 years or so. The group is confident Bach’s music, which it sees as being full of positive energy, will act as a tonic for audiences, giving them a sense of hope and positivity about life. In fact, the group sees this as the social role of a group of professional musicians like itself, and an identity it intends to embrace. By positioning this project as a “dream” it shares with audiences, Promusica hopes to contribute to creating a healthier and more peaceful world. The group is working towards the fruition of projects including attracting a thousand-plus people to its regular concerts, touring overseas, and being invited to perform at the Bach Fest, which is held once a year in Leipzig, Germany.
Promusica Continuo Co., Ltd.
Promusica Baroque Academy, Baroque
An academic and professional orchestra formed by harpsichordist and basso continuo player Toshiki Tsumuraya. The orchestra consists of original musical
instrument players active in Japan and overseas, including concertmaster Rieko Ikeda, principal cellist Toru Yamamoto, principal oboist Go Arai, and principal trumpet player Hidenori Saito. The group’s ambitious performances such as the concert series “Bunmei Kaika,” a presentation of Georg Friedrich Händel’s “Messiah,” and a concert marking the 350th anniversary of Heinrich Schütz’s death have all received rave reviews. In 2024 the orchestra performed “Johannes-Passion” by Johann Sebastian Bach to commemorate 300 years since the piece was first performed. In the same year it launched a new initiative to perform Bach’s “Complete Cantatas.” Promusica Continuo could be called the Japanese early music world’s “black ship”* for today, sailing on with an unquenchable spirit of inquiry.
*referd to the American naval “black ships” that arrived in Japan in the 19th century
Toshiki Tsumuraya
Executive Director
Promusica Baroque Academy
4・5F Daiya Gate Ikebukuro, 1-16-15, Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0022
info@promsinc.com
Toshima Civic Center, Multi-purpose Hall, Toshima City, TOkyo
