TOKYO BUNKA KAIKAN
60TH ANNIVERSAY FORUMTOWARD
MORE ACCESSIBLE
CULTURAL INSTITUTIONSCOMMUNITY, DIVERSITY, AND COVID

JANUARY 28, 2022

PUBLISHED BY
TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT;TOKYO BUNKA KAIKAN & ARTS COUNCIL TOKYO(TOKYO METROPOLITAN FOUNDATION FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE)

Forum Outline

2

Sixty Years of Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Photos

4

Opening Remarks

6

Keynote Speech

Trends and the Future of the European Cultural Sector in a Time of
COVID

Case Study

Creativity in a Time of COVID

Open Discussion

7

9

What We Lost and Gained over the COVID-19 Pandemic―Future
Visions for Arts Institutions

11

Insights from the Forum

14

Speaker Profiles

15
This report is an abstract of the presentations and discussions on January 28, 2022.
All information and data are based on information available as of March 2022.

FORUM REPORT

01

FORUM OUTLINETokyo Bunka Kaikan Workshop Workshop! Convivial ProjectTOKYO BUNKA KAIKAN
60TH ANNIVERSARY FORUM“TOWARD MORE ACCESSIBLE
CULTURAL INSTITUTIONSCOMMUNITY, DIVERSITY, AND COVID”

The global coronavirus pandemic that

Date and Timebegan in February 2020 has greatly

Friday, January 28, 2022

affected our way of life and values. It has

Japan 6:00–8:30 p.m. (UTC+9)

forcedmany

venuesandarts

organizations to suspend their activities,
and has also made us change how we

UK, Portugal 9:00–11:30 a.m. (UTC+0)
Central Europe 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (UTC+1)
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore 5:00–7:30 p.m. (UTC+8)
New York 4:00–6:30 a.m. (UTC-5)

create and experience the arts. What
have we, as cultural institutions and arts

Venue

organizations, learned and gained in a

Online (Zoom Webinar)time of COVID?

Capacity / Registration
This virtual forum explored the impact ofCapacity: approx. 500

COVID on cultural institutions and arts

Free registration

organizations with a focus on examples

Advance registration required on a first-come, first-

from Europe, and considered the social
mission of arts and culture that emerged

served basis
Registration: Tuesday, December 14, 2021–Tuesday,
January 25, 2022

during the pandemic.

FORUM REPORT

02FORUM OUTLINE

AgendaIn 2021, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan commemorated its sixtieth anniversary. Over the past seven years,
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan has actively collaborated with cultural institutions and arts organizations inJapan and abroad to develop and implement a wide range of education and outreach programs, suchas the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Music Workshop.
Drawing on our experience and network, we held this online forum to discuss the role and diversityof cultural institutions in the age of longevity. Joined by representatives of arts organizations fromaround the world, the forum reflected on people’s experiences during the COVID pandemic andasked why culture and the arts should be accessible to all, and why cultural institutions and arts
organizations should remain more inclusive and open.

１）Opening Remarks２）Keynote Speech

Trends and the Future of the European Cultural Sector in a Time of COVID
Barbara GESSLER (Head of Unit, Creative Europe, European Commission, European Union)３）Case Study

Creativity in a Time of COVID
Jillian BARKER (Director of Learning and Participation, Royal Opera House)

４）Open Discussion

What We Lost and Gained over the COVID-19 Pandemic―Future Visions for Arts Institutions
Panelists:
Jillian BARKER (Director of Learning and Participation, Royal Opera House)
Barbara GESSLER (Head of Unit, Creative Europe, European Commission)
KAJI Naoko (Director of Planning and Production Division, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan)
Jorge PRENDAS (Head of Education, Casa da Música)
Moderator:
YUASA Manami (Regional Arts Director, East Asia, British Council)５）Closing Remarks

Produced by: Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Production Section, Yukiyo SUGIYAMA)
Organizers: Tokyo Metropolitan Government; Tokyo Bunka Kaikan & Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan
Foundation for History and Culture)
In cooperation with: British Council & RESEO European Network for Opera, Music and Dance Education
Supported by: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of JapanFORUM REPORT

03

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Photograph: Yoshio Watanabe

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Photograph: Yoshio Watanabe

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Photograph: Yoshio Watanabe

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Photograph: Yoshio Watanabe

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Photograph: Yoshio Watanabe

🄫 Tetsuya Ito

🄫 Tetsuya Ito

🄫 Tetsuya Ito

🄫 Tetsuya ItoOPENING REMARKSOPENING REMARKS
I am Sugiyama Koji from Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. In opening the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
60th Anniversary Forum, I would like to make some brief remarks.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan opened in 1961 as a venue for staging classical music, opera,
ballet, and other performing arts. It commemorated its sixtieth anniversary in 2021. In
the history of Western classical music and ballet in Japan, the hall is one of the oldest
in the country.
The Tokyo Bunka Kaikan building was designed by an apprentice of Le Corbusier,
Maekawa Kunio. It is a fine example of modernist architecture that is well known both
inside and outside Japan.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan’s programs comprise three pillars: creation and dissemination;
professional development; and outreach programs for education and social inclusion.
We offer a wide range of music programs that cater to people of all ages andgenerations from babies to grown-ups.
From 2017, we started outreach programs with a focus on social inclusion. We
provide opportunities for anyone, regardless of age, ability, or social disadvantage, tolisten to and create music, and organize activities enabling more people to get involvedin cultural creation.
This forum mainly focuses on examples from Europe about how the COVID pandemic
has impacted cultural institutions and arts organizations. Through the discussion, we
hope to share some insights that have become apparent from the pandemic and about
the social mission of arts and culture. I hope the forum will provide all participants withsome useful perspectives for realizing a more inclusive society through arts and culturein this era of living with COVID.
SUGIYAMA Koji
Managing Director
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture

FORUM REPORT06

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Keynote Speech

TRENDS AND THE FUTURE
OF THE EUROPEAN CULTURALSECTOR IN A TIME OF COVID
Barbara GESSLER(Head of Unit, Creative Europe, European Commission)

How has the COVID-19 crisis affected

partnerships, networking, and a sense ofEurope’s cultural and creative sectors?

European identity. In particular, it

What public support mechanisms havesupports mechanisms in the areas ofbeen created at the European level tocultural heritage, books, architecture,counter the impact of the crisis?

cultural tourism, fashion, design, andmusic. The latter is particularly effective

Europe has accepted and recognizedat crossing borders and reaching youngthat culture and creativity have a real

people.

value economically and societally. In
addition to employing almost 8 million

The program has reacted to the crisis bypeople, the cultural and creative sectors

organizing special measures and issuingembody the diversity of Europe.

calls for proposals to support projects.
Investment is central to the EU’s

A 2021 study confirmed that theapproach: an initiative worth 37 billion

pandemic has had a massive effect oneuro was launched in response to thethe sector. Revenue and attendance

pandemic, and an emergency fund ofplummeted across the sector. More

100 billion euros was made available toworryingly, the venue operators thatmitigate unemployment.

survived are reporting that audiences
seem reluctant to come back even as we

Creative Europe has achieved many

finally emerge out of the pandemic.

things so far, not least supporting
thousands of organizations, andThe European Commission’s Creativetranslating and promoting thousands ofEurope program, which has a budget ofbooks. The European Capital of Culture

2.4 billion euros, was renewed in 2020

scheme is also an immense success.

with increased funding. Creative Europe

Because of the pandemic, Creative

has three strands: the culture strand,

Europe’s ongoing projects have faced

media strand, and cross-sectoral strand.

organizational challenges. A pilot

The culture strand covers everything

project, i-Portunus, has aimed to

except audio-visual, which is covered byincrease the mobility of individual

the media strand. The cross-sectoral

artists in Europe. The pandemic has

strand deals with the challenges that all

greatly restricted mobility, but Creative

sectors are facing jointly.

Europe hopes to continue the initiativein the belief that mobility stimulates andCreative Europe has now introduced

encourages cultural creativity. Creative

new tools and priorities. It supports

Europe’s efforts with debt financing forcooperation at the European level

the small-medium-sized enterprises,

through horizontal measures to improve

which are the core of the cultural and

FORUM REPORT07

KEYNOTE SPEECH

creative sectors, are now more essential

call an artist. They are making efforts

than ever due to the pandemic’s

to establish a framework for not only

economic impact.

dealing with the current problems facedby artists, and also trying to tackle

The reigning principle behind policy inthose same challenges in the longer

the EU is subsidiarity, meaning that it

term.

should only seek to do at the European
level what cannot be done better at

These national efforts feed back into

other levels. Accordingly, the EU’s

endeavors at the European level. An EU

response to the crisis areworking group is now examining thecomplementary to national or municipal

practices by the member states, aiming

ones. Attempts to help tackle

to share knowledge, initiatives, andunemployment during the pandemic

expertise. This means that when awere also guided by this approach. To

country has a good idea, others cantry to coordinate efforts across thelearn about it and adopt it if suitable formember states, the EU is currently

their circumstances. Creative Europe isputting together a Council Workalso hoping to introduce funding that

Program for 2019–22 based on thecan complement the national funding

subsidiarity principle. The EU is also

for such schemes.

building on past successes like theErasmus student exchange program,

As we look to recover from the crisis,

which has issued a special

we need structural changes, new“partnerships for creativity” call. In its

perspectives, and different business

unique role as an intergovernmental andmodels. Instead of focusing on short-supranational body, the EU is able toterm emergency responses, how can weoffer recommendations for member

build resilience so that thestates. In June 2021, it issued common

infrastructure is in place to deal withguidelines for how venues and thethe next crisis? To keep on adapting ourcultural sector can reopen.

tools for the crisis, more support fromthe private sector is also required.

During the crisis, individual member

Strength comes from cooperation andstates have poured a lot of funds into

exchange, in constantly learning fromsupporting the cultural and creative

each other and creating synergy. Whensectors, such as launching national

support moves across borders, such as

unemployment schemes for individual

at the European level, the cultural andartists. Several member states havecreative sectors will not only survive

looked more closely at working

but grow stronger.

conditions and the status of what we

FORUM REPORT08

CASE STUDY

Case Study from the Royal Opera House

CREATIVITY IN A TIME OF COVID
Jillian BARKER(Director of Learning and Participation, Royal Opera House)

Located in Covent Garden in London since 1732,

The ROH’s extensive learning and participation

the Royal Opera House (ROH) is home to the Royal

programming straddles both the opera and ballet

Ballet and Royal Opera companies. The current

sides of its activities, and aims to inspire creativity

building dates back to 1858 and is regarded as one

and open up opera and ballet to everyone acrossof the most beautiful theaters in the world.

the UK. In particular, the programs targets schools,
families, and community groups in an effort toaddress inequality of access to culture, attract newaudiences, and nurture young, diverse talent.

© ROH, 2018. Photograph by Luke Hayes

In March 2020, the pandemic hit and central London was suddenly empty. The ROH had tomake the unprecedented decision to close to the public and cancel all performances. Given thatthe heart of what the ROH does is perform and share creativity, this was a devastating blow tothe organization. It was also devastating at a financial level, resulting in the loss of millions ofpounds in revenue. But it was especially devastating for audiences and communities, who
suddenly had their access to the arts removed.
During lockdown, the artists were able to do ballet at home and maintain their physical fitness
thanks to a philanthropist’s donation of ballet barres. By investing in digital strategies, the ROH
could not only put videos of performances online quickly but also talks and other events.
With schools closed and children all at home, the ROH’s learning and participation programs
also suffered. Its team launched a twelve-week program of home learning to offer materials andactivities for supporting children’s education. Each week had themed content, including six
dance, music, and art activities. At the end of the week, children were given a creative
challenge and encouraged to post their work online on social media. The uptake and response
was impressive: over 69,000 engagements and 58,000 unique page views, and 1,100 new
signups for the ROH’s learning platform. The most popular activity was making a mini theater,which over 9,000 families did. And while the ROH’s programs had conventionally targeted UK
children, now people from all over the world were taking part.
The results of the program suggest that activity-focused learning works best—moreover, theshorter and simpler, the better. There were dancing and singing activities, but families
understandably seemed reluctant to shy these on social media.

FORUM REPORT09

CASE STUDY

Another online initiative was the ROH’s partnershipwith Doncaster, a town in the north of England thatis more socioeconomically deprived than London. A
planned ballet gala could not be held, so the ROH
instead held a three-week online program called
Doncaster Dances, which was designed to spark
creativity during lockdown and bring together the
local community. Six groups in the town—schools,
the rugby club, care homes, dance schools, andmore—got involved in creating an original dance
piece, based on the balcony scene in ”Romeo andJuliet.” Featuring two lovers who are separated, thescene reflected the isolation residents were thenexperiencing. The ROH set the challenge of learning
sections of the ballet and residents sent video clips
back, which were edited into a short film. In all, 135
members of the community took part, and the video
was released on the ROH’s social media channels
and attracted a wide audience from across theglobe. Perhaps more important than the numbers,
though, was that children were inspired to thinkthat they too could be a dancer.
By autumn 2021, the ROH began holding in-person
events again for schools. It welcomed children backinto the building in September. The approaches the
ROH had cultivated during the lockdown werecarried forward even as it returned to in-person
programming. The children were set a project inadvance and already learned some materials online,
meaning they arrived at the building well prepared
for their first experience of opera. The atmosphere
was electric. Online or offline, or through a blend of
the two, giving people—especially young people—
the chance to participate in culture is somethingthat can immensely change their life.

All photos © ROH, 2022

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10OPEN DISCUSSION

Open Discussion

WHAT WE LOST AND GAINEDOVER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ーFUTURE VISIONS FOR ARTS INSTITUTIONS
Jillian BARKER(Director of Learning and Participation, Royal Opera House)

Barbara GESSLER(Head of Unit, Creative Europe, European Commission)

KAJI Naoko(Director of Planning and Production Division, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan)

Jorge PRENDAS(Head of Education, Casa da Música)

Moderator: YUASA Manami(Regional Arts Director, East Asia, British Council)

The open discussion began with Kaji Naoko andJorge Prendas introducing the experiences at theirrespective institutions.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan was closed for around twomonths, with productions either outright canceledor postponed. Freelance artists and staff foundthemselves out of work. Unlike in Europe, theorganizers of performances are often not theinstitutions themselves but external production
companies, so the institutions earn a significant
amount of their revenue by hiring the venue. The
pandemic meant that such institutions suddenly
lost the funds they use to operate facilities. As
such, there was a stronger motivation to find ways
to reopen quickly while still keeping things safe foraudiences and artists. A new national subsidy was
introduced and measures were implemented toprevent the spread of infection. Education andoutreach programs also took a hit, since coming
into close contact with people was now impossible,
especially elderly people. Instead, workshop
formats were changed and new online
programming developed, aimed particularly atchildren with special needs.

FORUM REPORTThe situation for Casa da Música in Portugal was
similar to the Royal Opera House. It was forced toclose for several months. Financially, this was adifficult time, because of the loss of ticket revenue
as well as reduced funding from sponsors andsupporters, and the obligation to pay a percentage
of wages to the freelancer workers (though Casada Música actually opted to pay higher than theminimum legal requirement). Casa da Música hascontinued to put effort into online programming byfilming new concerts and streaming them online, in
addition to showing videos of older concerts fromits archive. Even though things are finally now
reopening, people are afraid to come back andinstitutions will need to work hard to convince
audiences to attend events in person again.
Some institutions were caught out by the
pandemic and didn’t yet have the technologicalmeans to start distributing content online to
replace live, in-person events. Digital literacy also
varies among people at institutions, which has led
to delays or hesitancy in uptake of online
approaches both before and during the pandemic.
As Kaji candidly described, this was the case for11OPEN DISCUSSION

The online tools that havebecome so prevalent overthe pandemic certainly have
many benefits, but they also
have their limitations.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, whose building facility is quite
old and digital environment outdated. It had anarchive of filmed content but which was notsuitable for streaming online for a general audience.
Other institutions had already begun investing indigital initiatives before COVID appeared. Casa daMúsica, for instance, started a free online learning
program way back in 2013, aimed at reachingpeople worldwide. Creative Europe too had existing
online projects, such as Opera Europa, which wasdelivering opera experiences all around the world.
Jillian Barker explained how the ROH was able toorganize its impressive online outreach programs insuch a short time. The decision to scale-up
nationally predated the pandemic, so the ROH was
already seeking to utilize digital tools and content
better. The learning platform on the website
existed before COVID struck, which gave the ROH
a great advantage. With the infrastructure in place,it was a case of developing new content quickly toroll out on the platform. The early investment paid
off. The twelve-week online learning program forchildren was launched very quickly, though theteam didn’t prepare all the content at once but inblocks. The team was also managed so that thepeople involved were not furloughed during thedevelopment stage. Everyone was working fromhome and learning to use new technology as theywent. People also channeled their personal
experiences as parents into the content.
The pandemic has had an unexpectedly positiveeffect in that it prompted institutions to fully
embrace digital tools after years of gradualdiscussion. But the right technological solution was
not always apparent straightaway. A music
institution, for instance, requires very high soundquality, so it wasn’t as simple as using asmartphone to stream a concert from a musician’shome. The online tools that have become soprevalent over the pandemic—Zoom, Teams, andso on—certainly have many benefits, but they also
have their limitations. Training people via Zoom can

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be chaotic and frustrating, both for professionals
and students. Overall, however, the advantages of
online and digital technology more than make up forsuch shortcomings.
The simplistic, knee-jerk response to all the online
initiatives resulting from the pandemic is that we
don’t need to go back to live events: everything canbe done online and remotely. But as both audiences
and artists both know, digital approaches can’t everfully replace the merits of doing workshops andtraining sessions face to face, or holding
performances live and in person. These tools willcontinue to benefit us in the future, yet should
ideally complement and accompany the previous
ways of doing things. The pandemic has reinforced
the new value and potential of digital tools, but
simultaneously led us to rediscover andreappreciate the value of non-digital approaches.

The future is inevitably a
blend of live and digital.
Regardless, it is now certain that the old mindset of“live events are good, digital content is a poor
substitute” no longer applies and there is no goingback. The future is inevitably a blend of live anddigital. The ROH wants young children toexperience ballet and opera, but it is impossible forthe company to physically visit all the thousands ofschools in the UK. By training teachers live, thoseeducators can then use the ROH’s digital programs
to continue the learning about ballet and opera atschools. Casa da Música also aims to reachPortuguese-speaking countries in Africa, whose
schools may not have access to materials aboutmusic. Such digital and online solutions are never
the same as actually sitting in an auditorium andattending a live performance, but they can build
initial contact in ways that transcend geography
and resources.
Digital tools have not only enabled institutions toride out the pandemic in the short term, but havealso gone some way to tackle inequality of accessto the arts that is a problem from before COVID—
and will continue to remain one even after the
pandemic is over. Nonetheless, the digital divide—
access to the internet and adequate devices—is stillapparent and a hurdle that prevents even online
programming from making the arts more inclusive.

12

OPEN DISCUSSION

The discussion also encompassed sharedexperiences regarding copyright issues. Initially,
institutions started broadcasting videos of old
concerts without thinking to check the originalcontracts. The response from artists was mixed:
some were pleased that their old works were being
rediscovered and shared; others were angry thatthey weren’t consulted or compensated. The ROH
is fortunate because it has renegotiated contracts
to include the right to film and show extracts ofworks, which particularly benefits its educational
efforts. Barker stressed the need for artist flexibility
in the future in regard to contracts and copyright.
Prendas explained that Casa da Música has
negotiated to have the rights to show videos but
only for a certain period of time in an attempt to
replicate the experience of an event, rather than astreaming service.

Difficult circumstances callfor creative solutions. People
in the arts are used to thisprocess.
Barbara Gessler discussed how Creative Europe’s
funding mostly goes to organizations like theaters,
festivals, music venues, and so on. This means that
individual artists sometimes fall in between thegaps when it comes to qualifying for subsidy. It has
tried to address this with a scheme for individual
mobility among artists and cultural professionals,
though this then raises questions about who
qualifies as a “professional.” Creative Europe’s
subsidiarity principle works well here: it is funding

FORUM REPORTThe industry needs to try out
various new approaches andtechnologies without fear of
making mistakes.
a network of choirs across Europe, which may wellinclude so-called “amateur” singing groups. In thisway, Creative Europe’s support for organizations
also trickles down to help individuals, including
non-professionals.
Difficult circumstances call for creative solutions. As
Barker pointed out, people in the arts are used tothis process. While social distancing and mask
mandates can greatly restrict music and dance,
where vocal quality, rehearsing and performing ingroups, and physical contact are unavoidable,
artistic people will always find workarounds. BothPrendas and Yuasa, however, highlighted the issueof risk aversion in Japan, which is potentiallyholding people in the industry back from trying newthings.
“Being creative” was the key takeaway from thediscussion, along with a willingness to work withdifferent people, organizations, institutions, andfunding bodies. Moving forward, the industry needs
to try out various new approaches and technologies
without fear of making mistakes, and without
resorting to simply replacing one approachcompletely with another approach. The post-COVID
future represents a big challenge, but also an
exciting opportunity to innovate through a blend ofdigital and live approaches.

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INSIGHTS FROM THE FORUM

Insights from the Forum
William ANDREWS
The thing most obviously apparent from the

The importance of digital and online tools

insights and experiences shared by theis now palpable, especially when it comesspeakers over the course of the forum wasto offering access if events cannot be heldthat the pandemic has had a grave impact

in person. They enable the arts to reachon arts institutions and the cultural andnew audiences and have major implications

creative sectors. Though hardly a surprisefor education and outreach. But it is

to any of the participants, it wascertainly not the case that the digital

nonetheless sobering to hear the individual

replaces the live, though neither is the oldstories.

mindset of “live/in-person experience as
number one” valid anymore. The two

Culture and the arts have, of course,

approaches are ultimately complementary:

survived many crises before, and arguably

the industry should continue to pursue

even thrive on adversity. Accordingly, ithybrid models that creatively mix in-

was also inspirational to hear the ways inperson programming (both forwhich the industry has risen to the immense

performances and training events) withchallenges of the pandemic.

proactive use of online platforms when it
makes sense. If the pandemic forced

What have we learned so far from all theseorganizations and institutions to embraceefforts? While short-term measures like

digital tools and acknowledge their value,

special compensation for canceled projects

it also led people to rediscover the value ofand grants for unemployed people in thelive performances. And from this, we cansectors are a very welcome lifeline forsurely take hope.

many, we need to look beyond providing
immediate relief. Taking on board thelessons of the pandemic, we should strive
to build new infrastructures across nationaland regional borders so that the industry is
ready for the next crisis.

William Andrews
Originally from the UK and now based in Tokyo, William Andrews is a writer, editor, and translator.
He graduated with a BA in English literature and language from King’s College London and an MA
in Japanese studies from Sophia University. He works widely in the visual and performing arts,
including for many major museums, festivals, and cultural institutions in Japan.
ウィリアム・アンドリューズ
イギリス生まれ。ライター、編集者、翻訳者。ロンドン大学キングス・カレッジ卒業、上智大学大学院グローバル・スタディーズ
研究科卒業。2004年から日本に滞在。専門は舞台芸術やアート、社会運動、文化史など。日本のアート界と舞台芸術業界の仕事が多く、主要な美術館や博物館、祭典、文化機関などの翻訳と広報に全般に携わる。

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SPEAKER PROFILES

Speaker Profiles

In order of appearance

Barbara GESSLER
Head of Unit, Creative Europe
European Commission, European Union
Barbara Gessler worked in the European Parliament before joining
the European Commission in 1994. After time at the Directorate
General’s Unit for Audiovisual Policy, she transferred to theenvironment department in 1996. From 1998 until 2003, she wasplaced at the European Commission in Berlin. Until 2009, she was
Head of Regional Representation of the Commission in Bonn, before
returning to Brussels as Head of the Press Unit of the European
Economic and Social Committee until mid-2011. Until 2016, she ran
the Culture Unit at the Executive Agency for the EU’s funding
programs. Since 2017, she is responsible for the cultural part of theCreative Europe program at the Directorate-General for Education,
Youth, Sport and Culture.

Jillian BARKER
Director of Learning and Participation
Royal Opera House
Jillian Barker is a passionate advocate of the power of creative
learning for everyone. Across a career of thirty years, she has worked
as a practitioner, programmer, and policy-maker, spanning leadership
positions for organizations of national and international significance,
including the Arts Council, Barbican Centre, National Gallery, andTate. As Director of Learning and Participation at the Royal Opera
House, she has been responsible for launching a national schools
program, integrating digital learning, and opening up the ROH for
thousands of families and participants to discover ballet and opera.
She is particularly interested in commissioning new work andinitiated New Music 20x12 for the London 2012 Olympics, which has
now evolved into the New Music Biennial.

YUASA Manami
Regional Director Arts, East Asia
British Council
After working in marketing and promotion at a film distribution
company, Yuasa Manami joined the arts team of the British Council’s
Japan office in 1995 and took up the post of Head of Arts in 2005.
Since then, she has led the arts and creative industries program andfacilitated relationships between the UK and Japanese arts andcultural sectors. She was recently program manager of the cultural
strand of a major bilateral campaign, UK in JAPAN, led by the British
Council and the British Embassy in Tokyo. In May 2021, she became
Interim Regional Director Arts, East Asia, working across fourteen
countries in East Asia.

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SPEAKER PROFILES

Speaker Profiles
In order of appearance

KAJI Naoko
Director of Planning and Production DivisionTokyo Bunka Kaikan
Kajigraduated

from

the

CollegeofDepartment

Naoko

of

Vocal

Music.

After

Kunitachi
workingasproduction

coordinator

for

the

Fujiwara

Opera

and

performances

its

a

Music
co-

presented with the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and then helping tosupport new artists with the Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation, shetook up her current position on the fiftieth anniversary of Tokyo
Bunka Kaikan. She is involved in a wide array of activities at Tokyo
Bunka Kaikan, including creativity and dissemination, professional

🄫 Tomoko Hidaki

development, and promoting music education and social inclusion.

Jorge PRENDAS
Head of Education
Casa da Música
Jorge Prendas began his musical studies at the age of ten. As acomposer, his work has featured in international music festivals,
films, and CD releases. As a performer, he founded the a cappellagroup Vozes da Rádio, which has given more than five hundredconcerts in Europe and Asia. Prendas has been a workshop leader at
Casa da Música since September 2007 and was appointed Director of
Education there in 2010. In Japan, he has been involved in music
workshops and workshop leader training at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan since

🄫 Mino Inoue2013. He was a member of the RESEO Steering Committee from 2001
to 2003. Since 2004, he has been teaching on the Master in
Performing Arts Management program at La Scala, Milan.

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Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Workshop Workshop! Convivial ProjectTOKYO BUNKA KAIKAN
60TH ANNIVERSARY FORUM | FORUM REPORT“TOWARD MORE ACCESSIBLE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONSCOMMUNITY, DIVERSITY, AND COVID”

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