Midori Komai Farewell Concert 2026 in Hakuba｜dates, program & tickets
Pioneering woman conductor Midori Komai gives her farewell concert on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at Kyowa Wing Hakuba Cultural Hall in Nagano — a one-time-only Hakuba Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and other European favourites. Doors 14:00, performance 15:00–17:00. Advance tickets ¥4,500 (students ¥2,000; under-12 free).
When · Where
- When
- 2026/09/05 15:00 – 2026/09/05
- Where
- Kyowa Wing Hakuba Cultural Hall（2066 Hokujo, Hakuba, Kitaazumi District, Nagano 399-9301）
- City
- Across Japan
- Getting there
- About 3 hours from Tokyo. By train, ride to Hakuba Station on the JR Oito Line (via the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano then a bus or limited express, or the Azusa limited express from Shinjuku); the hall is just behind the station. By car, roughly 180 parking spaces are available on site.
- Price
- Advance ¥4,500 / same-day ¥5,000. Nagano residents ¥3,500; junior- and senior-high students ¥2,000; elementary-age and younger free (a free seat ticket is required if the child uses a seat). Post-event archive streaming is also sold on teket (as of 2026-07-21; confirm current details before buying).
- Organizer
- Midori Komai Orchestra Project (Licht Philharmonic Project)
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- About 3 hours from Tokyo. By train, ride to Hakuba Station on the JR Oito Line (via the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano then a bus or limited express, or the Azusa limited express from Shinjuku); the hall is just behind the station. By car, roughly 180 parking spaces are available on site.
- Booking & entry
- Check tickets and details on the official page (button above).
- Paying
- Advance ¥4,500 / same-day ¥5,000. Nagano residents ¥3,500; junior- and senior-high students ¥2,000; elementary-age and younger free (a free seat ticket is required if the child uses a seat). Post-event archive streaming is also sold on teket (as of 2026-07-21; confirm current details before buying).. Smaller venues in Japan are often cash-first — carry some yen (cards/IC not guaranteed).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- music fans, culture seekers
Highlights
- The farewell concert of pioneering woman conductor Midori Komai, with a one-time-only Hakuba Philharmonic Orchestra, on the 20th anniversary of her mentor Hiroyuki Iwaki's death
- A crowd-friendly program of European favourites — Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 (of Nodame Cantabile fame), Mozart's Marriage of Figaro overture and the Sleeping Beauty waltz
- In Hakuba, Nagano — the conductor's childhood home in the Northern Alps; doors 14:00, performance 15:00–17:00
Background & story
Midori Komai is one of Japan's pioneering women conductors — trained under maestro Hiroyuki Iwaki, chosen in conducting auditions across the United States, and later on the podium of the Sapporo and Kyushu symphonies, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. 2026 marks 20 years since Iwaki's death, and she is closing her career where her music began: Hakuba, the Northern Alps village where she grew up surrounded by her father's records and the sound of the mountains. She calls the concert a gift of gratitude — the culmination of a life in music, shared with the audience one last time.
Good to know
The hall is right behind Hakuba Station — a few minutes by taxi, or about 15 minutes on foot via a tunnel route — with roughly 180 parking spaces on site. Coming from Tokyo? The official 2-night bus tour is sold out, but you can still arrange Hakuba lodging yourself; the optional after-party is held near the Happo area, so staying there makes the evening easy.
Frequently asked questions
- When and where is Midori Komai's farewell concert?
- Saturday, September 5, 2026 at Kyowa Wing Hakuba Cultural Hall (2066 Hokujo, Hakuba, Nagano). Doors open at 14:00 and the performance runs 15:00–17:00 (as of 2026-07-21).
- What's on the program?
- A crowd-friendly tour of European classics led by its centrepiece, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major (famous from Nodame Cantabile), plus Mozart's Marriage of Figaro overture and the waltz from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. The program is subject to change.
- How much are tickets and where do I buy them?
- Advance ¥4,500 / same-day ¥5,000; Nagano residents ¥3,500; junior- and senior-high students ¥2,000; elementary-age and younger free (a free seat ticket is needed if the child uses a seat). Buy online via teket (teket.jp/17830/67406); a post-event archive-streaming ticket is also sold there (as of 2026-07-21).
- Can classical-music beginners and families attend?
- Yes. The organizers say no prior knowledge is needed — it is meant as an experience, not a lecture. Elementary-age children and younger are free (lap-held infants free; otherwise a free seat ticket is required), and there is no dress code.
- Is there a tour, an eve gathering or an after-party?
- The Tokyo-departure 2-night bus tour (via Alphapoint) is currently sold out. The September 4 eve gathering at the Iwatake summit (¥9,000) and the September 5 post-concert Italian-buffet party (¥4,000 special price) are still open to apply until August 31 via the official form, separately from the concert ticket.