In autumn 2026, the Belgian National Orchestra returns to the Land of the Rising Sun for a landmark tour, featuring a long-awaited reunion with Mikko Franck.
Following its tour of South Korea in 2025, the BNO is set to reconnect with Japanese audiences through an exceptional series of concerts. From 28 October to 4 November, the orchestra will perform in Oita, Nagoya, Kurashiki, Tokyo and Mie as part of the celebrations marking 160 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan.
The tour reflects the BNO's growing international profile and its role as a cultural ambassador for Belgium on some of the world's leading concert stages.
A Reunion and New Encounters
For this tour, the BNO reunites with Finnish conductor Mikko Franck, who served as the orchestra's Chief Conductor from 2002 to 2007. More than twenty years after the orchestra's previous tours of Japan in 2003 and 2004, this reunion marks a special milestone in the BNO's history.
Joining him is rising Japanese pianist Masaya Kamei, fifth prize winner of the 2025 Queen Elisabeth Competition, performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2. Depending on the programme, the orchestra will also perform either Tchaikovsky's monumental Symphony No. 5 or Dvořák's iconic Symphony No. 9, From the New World.
Tour Schedule
The orchestra will perform in some of Japan's most prestigious concert halls:
- 28 October – Oita | iichiko Culture Center
- 30 October – Nagoya | Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater – Concert Hall
- 1 November – Kurashiki | Kurashiki Civic Hall
- 2 November – Tokyo | Sumida Triphony Hall
- 3 November – Mie | Mie Center for the Arts
- 4 November – Tokyo | Suntory Hall
Beyond the concerts themselves, this tour celebrates the longstanding cultural ties between Belgium and Japan. It also marks another important step in the BNO's international development as the orchestra continues to bring Belgian musical excellence to audiences around the world.
Experience the tour programme in Belgium!
Would you like to hear the Japan tour programme before it leaves for Asia? Join Mikko Franck, Masaya Kamei and the BNO on 22 October in Louvain-la-Neuve (Brahms & Dvořák) or on 23 October at Bozar (Brahms & Tchaikovsky).
