This November, the Japan International League of Artists (JILA) will be raising the curtain for the first time in Osaka.

JILA has been supporting Japan's music community for 17 years and organized musical contests such as the Tokyo International Competition for Chamber Music.

JILA will explore new territory by bringing eight members to Ishihara Hall for an evening of classical music.

"There aren't many (JILA) classical events held in the Kansai region," explains Aki Fujimura of the JILA production department. "We wish to reach out to other parts of the country through music."

Standing out from the pack is promising pianist Taku Kuno.

Kuno will perform with some of the nation's most prominent musicians and will present, among other pieces, a fun and flitting rendition of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf," and the fiery "Obsession Diabolique" by Sergei Prokofiev. Kuno, who studied music at both the Osaka University of the Arts and the Rostock University of Music and Theatre in Germany, took the stage with the prize- winning Wihan Quartet earlier this year.

The lineup will also feature singers Yasue Osaki and Nami Iwai, and clarinetist Akiko Atarashi.

"With a program that includes artists from Osaka, and led by Taku Kuno, the event will be a special one," says Fujimura. "It will be a wonderful night of music."

The Japan International League of Artists: First Concert In Osaka takes place on Nov. 13 at Ishihara Hall in Osaka. Advance tickets cost ¥3,500. For more information, call (03) 3356-4178 or visit www.jila.co.jp.