The Brigham Young University Wind Symphony will have the auspicious honor of performing in Tokyo’s Hibiya Hall when the group tours Japan and South Korea in May 2009. The hall is widely known as the Carnegie Hall of Japan because of its longstanding tradition as a classical music venue. Over the years, Hibiya Hall has hosted numerous professional, world-class orchestras, and this spring it will welcome BYU’s Wind Symphony to the big stage.

Wind Symphony director Donald Peterson is excited for the opportunities the tour will provide for his performers. In addition to performances, the students will spend time with members of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, one of the world’s most famous and prolific wind ensembles. According to Peterson, this opportunity will be the equivalent of young orchestra musicians being able to “hang out” with the New York Philharmonic. “When musicians get to perform every day, it takes them to the next level,” Peterson said. “I’m excited to see the potential of the orchestra unfold as we perform daily and live the life of professional musicians.”

Audiences across Japan and South Korea will be offered a broad spectrum of musical styles and genres presented in the Wind Symphony’s performances. From contemporary works such as Celebrations, by American composer John Zdechlik, and the celebrated film score arrangement to the film Silverado, by Bruce Broughton, to great standards such as Hindemith’s “March,” from Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Procession of the Nobles, there is sure to be something for everyone in each performance.

The tour marks the Wind Symphony’s first-ever visit to South Korea and Japan. After arriving in South Korea, the group will perform at multiple venues in Seoul, Taejon, Taegu, and Pusan, giving thousands of spectators the opportunity to hear the band’s enchanting melodies. As the tour continues on to Japan, the Wind Symphony will play for audiences in Sendai, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo.

Japan boasts some of the best wind ensembles in the world, and Peterson hopes that the trip will allow the BYU musicians to make connections and forge relationships with their foreign counterparts. “We want to share our respect for them and our mutual love of music with them,” Peterson said. “Visiting a distant land makes the world seem a little bit smaller. As we establish friendships with these people, we learn that we are much more the same than we are different.”