Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Commence Tour to Japan

LIVERPOOL'S resident Orchestra will spend twelve days in Japan performing 7 concerts across the country.

Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan will lead the Orchestra in a 7 concert tour of Japan this month. This is the Orchestra's 3rd visit to Japan and their 1st international tour under the baton of Domingo Hindoyan.

The Orchestra will be performing in Tokyo's legendary Suntory Hall and major concert halls in:- Saga, Osaka, Omiya, Niigata and Nagano. They will be performing works by Walton, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Roussel and Shostakovich.

Renowned Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii will be joining the Orchestra in Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 and No. 3, both of which he has performed previously with the Orchestra, most recently at the 2023 BBC Proms to critical acclaim and to a sold-out audience at Philharmonic Hall on 4 May.

Liverpool Philharmonic is central to the City's cultural offering, it's the largest music organisation in Liverpool and the Orchestra performs over 60 concerts each year at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Orchestral tours, recordings and concert streams promote Liverpool's culture nationally and internationally. Over 900,000 people across 180 countries listen to the Orchestra's recordings each month on Spotify; more than any UK orchestra outside London.

Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan said:- "It's a great honour to be invited to perform in Japan. We're looking forward to exploring this wonderful country and bringing our music to more people internationally. We're delighted to be once again performing with Nobuyuki Tsujii, we have built a fantastic relationship over the past couple of years and I'm very much looking forward to performing together in his home country."

Liverpool Philharmonic Artistic Planning Director Sandra Parr said:- "This is our 3rd visit to Japan and we couldn't be more thrilled to return to this wonderful country with our colleagues in Avex. It's a huge undertaking organising the transport of over 80 musicians and instruments, but it's so worth it! Touring plays such an important part in being:- ambassadors for Liverpool and sharing our City's cultural assets on the national and international stage."
 

A pioneering partnership for Liverpool City Region’s tourism sector

Chair of the LVEP Board, Lord Hall, said:- "This is a fantastic opportunity to come back to my roots and play a role in promoting this incredible Region, which has so much to offer to visitors. I'm proud and honoured to be leading a very high calibre board that represents the diversity of the sector and the City Region. I can't wait to get to know them and to work together to bring even more people to this wonderful City and Region."

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "The Liverpool City Region is a national and international destination of choice, renowned for its unbeatable culture, music, sport, hospitality and much, much more. In the last year alone, we've completely transformed an event as iconic as Eurovision; and welcomed golf's global superstars for the 151st edition of The Open in Hoylake. That's in addition to the Grand National, 2 Premier League football teams and the most successful Super League team in the country calling our area home. But we're not here to rest on our laurels and this is all about ambition; we want to go from strength to strength and partnership is the key to that. That's why I've pledged to double support for culture to 2% of our budget to build on our achievements. It's because of our recent success that we've been able to attract someone of Tony's calibre to help turbocharge this work over the next few years. We are already the UK's cultural capital but watch out because we're only just getting started!"

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, added:- "This new way of working together is all about unleashing the full potential of the City Region; using all our skills, innovation and creativity to make a real, tangible difference. We've seen Liverpool excel when it comes to events and we're 1 of the best cities around when it comes to promoting ourselves, so it makes sense to bring together the entire City Region in a creative union, with a shared goal of inspiring residents, boosting the local economy and attracting visitors. By creating a 1 front door approach; we become more accessible, visible and will stand out as a UK destination with a huge amount to shout about; from incredible tourist attractions, a booming film sector right through to leading the way in the gaming and science sectors and not to mention the rich heritage that runs across each of the 6 boroughs. We will now have all the component parts that we need in 1 place to best exploit some of the most exciting opportunities around and solidify Liverpool City Region's cultural powerhouse status."

Cllr Kate Groucutt (St Helens Borough Council), LVEP Board member and Deputy Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Growth and Third Sector for 2023/24, also commented:- "This new approach is a tremendously exciting opportunity for us to work together to promote our City Region and boost our vitally important tourism sector. We are rightly famous for the warmth of our welcome and the richness of what we have to offer; across:- sport, music, the arts, nightlife and so much more. By working collectively we can attract even more people to visit and spread the word about our fantastic City Region."

VisitBritain / VisitEngland CEO, Patricia Yates, responded:- "The Liverpool City Region was 1 of the 1st LVEPs VisitEngland accredited and it has enjoyed a truly successful year with Eurovision and the golf open to name but a few highlights that have shone the global spotlight on this part of England. I would like to extend our welcome and congratulations to the Liverpool City Region Local Visitor Economy Partnership and its new chairman Lord Hall. This announcement is timely bringing to the fore the industry's economic importance and the fantastic work underway with stakeholders across the Region to grow the visitor economy . We look forward to continuing to work with the Liverpool City Region Local Visitor Economy Partnership and its Board, building on the Region's success and ensuring Liverpool remains a top destination for both domestic and international visitors now and in the years ahead."