A charity concert with afternoon tea will be held by Yokohama International Women's Club on April 17 at the Yokohama Grand InterContinental Hotel in the Minatomirai waterfront area.

With the arrival of the beautiful azalea season, the club will host its annual event, titled YIWC's 53rd Azalea Tea Quintessential Classics, with performances by five renowned Japanese classical musicians.

The concert and afternoon tea will start at 12 a.m.; tickets are ¥8,000, by reservation only.

The quintet consists of a violin, piano, viola, cello and contrabass.

The violin will be played by Kioko Yasuda, who is active as a soloist and as a chamber music violinist.

Yasuda toured Europe with her own ensemble in 2001, receiving international acclaim for her technical expertise and superb performances.

The viola will be played by Kumi Nakajima, a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

Nakajima was awarded second prize in the fifth Japan Chamber Music Competition. She played in a quintet at a music festival in Portugal in 2003.

The contrabass will be played by Keizo Mizoiri, a graduate of Tokyo National University of Music and Fine Arts and the winner of the Kranichsteiner Music Prize from the Darmstadt Music Institute in Germany in 1990.

The musicians will play such selections as "Thais — Meditation" by Massenet, "Die Forelle" by Schubert and "Verno Porteno" by Piazzlola.

The afternoon tea menus served at the concert are sandwiches, fruit and sweets, with tea or coffee.

YIWC donates the proceeds from their annual event to many charities, including two homes for children — to continue their studies after high school — and a home for the elderly in Kanagawa Prefecture. YIWC also helps organize monthly birthday and seasonal parties at all three facilities.

The hotel is a 2-minute walk from Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line, or a 10-minute walk from Sakuragicho Station on the JR Keihintohoku Line.

For reservations and more information, call or fax Yoko Yamamoto at (045) 894-1596 or Sumiko Negishi at (045) 543-7867.