The Kirishima International Music Festival began in 1980 in the Kirishima Highland, a hot spring resort with a rich natural environment located beside a national park.
Based on our philosophy that teachers and students influence one another and grow together, we are committed to cultivating musicians with independent perspectives, both in their technical approach and as human beings.
Under the direction of music director Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, the curriculum is designed to give students a comprehensive experience as musicians.
Many Kirishima students have gone on to become world-class musicians active both in Japan and abroad, and to support the current festival as instructors and performers.
Today, the festival is highly acclaimed both in Japan and overseas as one of the leading music festivals in Asia.
Quartet Integra
The 41st Kirishima International Music Festival Music Director Award
Mao Fujita (Piano)
Grand Prize at the 40th Kirishima International Music Festival
2nd Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition
Quartet Amabile
The 37th Kirishima International Music Festival Music Director Award
3rd Prize in Munich International Music Competition for String Quartet
＼ What to see and hear ／
Concerts
-A two-week classical music festival-
The Kirishima International Music Festival is the music festival with the longest history in Japan, having been held since 1980. Every summer, renowned performers from around the world gather in Kirishima, along with students, for a two-week music festival.
About 50 concerts are held throughout the prefecture, including Kirishima and Kagoshima City, not only in concert halls but also in venues such as Kirishima Shrine, churches, and even sake breweries and hot spring footbaths.
During the festival, the city of Kirishima is filled with music, hot springs, delicious food, and a wealth of enjoyable activities.
Master Classes
-Practical instruction that opens the door to the world –
World-renowned musicians give lessons every day.
Each year, approximately 160 students from Japan and other countries in Asia and around the world participate in classes. This site of learning and enlightenment, where excellent musicians provide practical guidance to high-level international students, is an incomparable document.
Another special feature of the festival is that many of the currently participating artists are former Kirishima Music Festival Master Class students. A tradition in which musicians who have made great strides in the world return to Kirishima as mature artists has firmly taken root.
Venue (Music Festival main venue)
Kirishima International Music Hall (Miyama Conseru)
Built for the Music Festival in 1994, this hall was praised by the International Acoustical Society as a “miraculous hall” for its outstanding acoustics and atmosphere. The exterior of the hall is designed in the image of a ship going out on the open sea. (Main Hall: 770 seats) The hall design is by Fumihiko Maki, and the acoustic design is by Yoichi Ando. The 55,000㎡ site, with its lime trees and walking paths, is a special space where visitors can enjoy nature and music to the fullest.
Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture
A Music Festival in a National Park
Located in northern Kagoshima, one of Japan’s leading tourism prefectures, Kirishima is home to Japan’s first national park, a hot spring resort boasting a wide variety of springs, and a treasure trove of delicious food. One of Japan’s foremost highland resorts, with hotels, hot spring inns, outdoor museums, and historical parks, Kirishima supports the music festival as a source of spiritual energy for all the participants.
Sponsor
Kyocera Corporation / Suntory Holdings Corporation / ULVAC Corporation / IHI Corporation / Kagoshima Horiguchi Tea Wakohen / ANA Holdings, Inc. / NANGOKU SHOKUSSAN Corporation / Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima / Hamada Sake Brewery Co. Kagoshima Toyota Motor Corporation / Kagoshima Toyopet / Toyota Corolla Kagoshima / Netz Toyota Kagoshima / Toyota Rental & Lease Kagoshima / Toyota Mobility Parts Kagoshima Branch / Mitsubishi Estate / MEC Industry / Mitsubishi Jisho Design Inc. / Mitsubishi Estate Real Estate Service
Subsidy
Japan Arts Fund Grants / The Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Foundation for the Arts / The Kao Foundation for Arts and Sciences / The Nomura Foundation / The Asahi Shimbun Foundation / Nippon Music Foundation (Cooperation)
Cooperation
Kirishima Jingu Shrine / Xavier Church / Fukuchi Sangyo / Hotel Kirishima Castle / Ryokojin-sanso / Kirishima Hotel / Kirishima Kanko Hotel / Kirishima International Hotel Hotel Kyocera / Kagoshima Prefectural Kirishima Shizen Hureai Center / Satsuma Kotsu Kanko / Yakiniku Kitchen Wakimoto / Kawai Musical Instruments
Donations
Kagoshima Bank / MBC Hatanaka Cultural Foundation / Microcut / Seika Foods / Sakamoto Brewery / Seika Sports Center / Jujiya / Nomura Securities Kagoshima Branch / Kagoshima Airport Building / Jifukai Medical Corporation Atsuji Neurosurgical Hospital / Nippon Gas / Den-en Sake Brewery / Individual: Mr. Shuntaro Enatsu
Backing
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan / Agency for Cultural Affairs / The Japan Foundation / Embassy of Georgia in Japan / Embassy of Belgium in Japan / Korean Cultural Center, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Japan Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education / Kagoshima City / Kagoshima City Board of Education / Kirishima City Board of Education / Kirishima City Tourism Association / Yusui Town Kirishima-sanroku Yusui Town Tourism Association / Minami-Nihon Shimbun / MBC Minami-Nihon Broadcasting Co.
Support
Kirishima International Music Festival Kagoshima Friendship Association, Kirishima Friendship Association
Affiliation
Minami Nihon Music Competition
