HBC Junior Orchestra 2026 Summer Concert to be Held

The HBC Junior Orchestra's Summer Concert will be held on Sunday, August 9, at the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara Main Hall.

Founded in 1964 as Hokkaido's first junior orchestra, the HBC Junior Orchestra is affectionately known as "Juni-oke." It has continued to perform throughout Hokkaido, in other parts of Japan, and overseas, producing many professional musicians and instructors.

The orchestra currently has 116 members ranging from 3rd grade of elementary school to 3rd grade of high school. They practice for three hours every Sunday.

The annual Summer Concert in August is where they showcase the results of their practice.

This year's Summer Concert is an "All-Tchaikovsky" program, featuring Symphony No. 5 as the main piece. Performing this work, which requires delicate expression throughout, is a challenging task for a large junior orchestra, but under the guidance of conductor Hiromitsu Abe, the members are working hard to craft their performance.

The guest performer is violinist Rifan Aida, solo concertmaster of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra and concertmaster of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra. Although she is not an alumna of the orchestra, Aida is a role model for the members due to her active career in concerts both in Japan and internationally. The members will perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Aida.

Tickets are 1,000 yen (tax included) for all unreserved seats and will go on sale starting Friday, June 19.

[Performance Overview] Title: HBC Junior Orchestra 2026 Summer Concert Date and Time: Sunday, August 9, 2026, Doors open 14:00, Performance starts 15:00 Venue: Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara Main Hall Conductor: Hiromitsu Abe (Permanent Conductor, HBC Junior Orchestra) Violin: Rifan Aida (Solo Concertmaster, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra; Concertmaster, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra) Program: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64; Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (Vn Solo: Rifan Aida); Tchaikovsky Marche Slave in B-flat minor, Op. 31, and others.

[Tickets] Unreserved: 1,000 yen (tax included) Sales Locations: Kitara Ticket Center, Doshin Play Guide, Sapporo Community Plaza Ticket Center, Ticket Pia (P-Code: 328-846), Lawson Ticket (L-Code: 11802), Secoma Code (D26080903) *Until Monday, August 3.

[Inquiries] HBC Junior Orchestra Office, Phone: 011-232-5842, Email: [email protected] (10:00-17:00, excluding weekends and holidays).