Osaka International Festival

Osaka International Festival

April

Founded in 1958 as a meeting place for Eastern and Western cultures, the Osaka International Festival presents classical music performed by orchestras, chamber ensembles, and solo artists from Japan and other countries. The program also includes dance, drama, and opera, with performances given in the 2,709-seat Osaka Festival Hall, one of the largest and most modern in the Far East. The Comedie Française, Vienna Burgtheater, and ThÉâtre de France Renaud-Barrault have performed there, as have the New York City Ballet, the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theatre, and the Ballet Aztlan de Mexico.
Every Osaka Festival features classical Japanese Noh dance-dramas and Kabuki theatrical performances. The Bunraku Puppet Theatre also presents traditional Japanese dramas using dolls that are two-thirds human size. The two-week festival is scheduled to take place in April, which is cherry-blossom time in Osaka.

CONTACTS:
Japan National Tourist Organization
1 Rockefeller Pl., Ste. 1250
New York, NY 10020
212-757-5640; fax: 212-307-6754
www.jnto.go.jp

SOURCES:
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 124
IntlThFolk-1979, p. 258
MusFestWrld-1963, p. 264