The Asia Orchestra Week 2005, to be held in Tokyo and Osaka Oct. 2-7, will give classical music fans the chance to catch less familiar orchestras from the Asia-Pacific region. While visiting orchestras from the United States and Europe may be familiar to Japanese audiences, Asia Orchestra Week is now in its fourth season and remains an excellent window into the emerging orchestras of South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia, China and Japan.

The highlight will undoubtedly be the repertoires featuring traditional musical instruments from participating countries, including China and Indonesia.

The Nusantara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) from Indonesia, for example, will perform with traditional Balinese folk instruments. The NSO boasts among their ranks Indonesia's most celebrated pianist, Ananda Sukarlan, who has worked with orchestras in Berlin, Madrid and Barcelona, and an award-winning Balinese dancer.

China's Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) will be performing an all-Chinese repertoire, including "Iris unveiled," composed by Cheng Qigang and to be sung by Ma Shuai, a hugely talented soprano who has presented over a thousand performances with the China Beijing Opera Company during the last decade.

Two violin virtuosos will also perform: Kang Dong Suk (performing with the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra) has performed in Japan on numerous occasions, and has also performed in chamber music concerts and recitals.

Augustin Dumay will be performing with the GSO. Paris-born, Dumay started to study music formally at the Paris Conservatoire aged 10, but received international acclaim when conductor Herbert von Karajan made Dumay his guest artist for a gala in Paris.

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from Australia, acclaimed as one of the world's "finest small orchestras," with 47 musicians at present, will also perform.

For details on schedules and programming, see the Advance Booking section, page 15.

The venues are the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo and the Symphony Hall in Osaka. Tickets are 1,000, yen 3,000 yen and 4,000 yen. A four-performance pass for Tokyo, 6,000 yen or 10,000 yen and a five-performance pass for Osaka, 8,000 yen or 12,000 yen.

Call (03)-5353-9999 or (03)-5610-7275 for the Tokyo performances. For Osaka call (06)-6453-6000 or (0570)-02-9990.