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Festival of Czech Music in Japan

From October to December a Festival of Czech Music will be held in Japan. This important cultural event is being prepared by the Japan Arts Corporation in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo.
The festival is dedicated to four Czech composers - Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček and Josef Suk. This year an important anniversary is associated with each of them. Japanese and Czech ensembles and soloists will perform at the festival. The star of the festival will be the Czech Philharmonic with conductors Zdeněk Mácal and Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi. Others performing at the festival will include the Suk Chamber Orchestra, the Tokyo String Quartet, the Wihan Quartet, the pianist Martin Kasík, the Bambinin di Praga choir, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the Brno National Theater Opera, and others. The festival will not be limited to concerts but will also include lectures, workshops, thematically-focused mini-festivals, educational programs and course: a total of 23 musical projects, 14 of which are Czech and 9 Japanese.

Junichiro Koizumi named Honorary Chairman

The Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi has been named the Honorary Chairman for the Expo 2005 World Exposition, which opens in March of next year, on the basis of a proposal by Mr. Shoichira Toyoda, Chairman of the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition. Prime Minister Koizumi subsequently called on the members of his government to use their ministries to support preparations for and the running of this exceptional socio-cultural event.

Unique Performances

The Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition will present unique performances of the traditional Japanese Noh and Kyogen theaters at the Expo Dome. Both have been designated by UNESCO as a part of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage. Noh and Kyogen, whose origins date to the Muromachi period (1337-1573), combine song, dance and other performance genres. More than a hundred of the country's leading artists, including the four UNESCO "Living Human Treasures" will perform as a part of this unique project at Expo 2005.

Petr Holý in Prague

Mr. Petr Holý, who works with the Office of the General Commissioner and lives in Japan, has come to Prague. His visit was a working trip during which he accompanied well-known specialists on the Noh and kabuki theater traditions from Waseda University where Mr. Holý is an associate professor. While here he presented a paper entitled "The Spirit World in Modern Kabuki" at the New Trends in Chinese and Japanese Theater international symposium. Mr. Holý will also be meeting with the editorial board and readers can look forward to more interesting articles from him.

Competition to Decorate the Hovertrain

Expo 2005's organizers have announced a public competition to decorate a maglev hovertrain, which is referred to by the acronym "Linimo" (short for "linear motor car"). Linimo can reach a maximum speed of 500 kph on longer journeys and will transport Expo 2005 visitors from Nagoya to the exposition grounds. The competition is open to both amateurs and professionals. Their task is to design the exteriors of the cars in the spirit of Expo 2005's themes. First prize includes both the use of the design and a financial award of 300,000 yen (about 75,000 crowns).

The Czech National Day

The assignment of national days has been finalized for the whole of Expo 2005's run. The Czech National Day, which will be held on Friday, June 24, 2005, will be the 51st and will bring to a close the week that begins with the National Day of the United States of America.

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