Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Vietnam The Princess Anio Opera Project Press Conference and a Special Performance “Boat of Starlight” Performed by the Japanese Actors Playing Araki Sotaro in Vietnam Promotion for the World Premiere in September 2023 Thanks to your support, the Princess Anio Opera Project, which began in the autumn of 2020 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam, will finally have its world premiere in Hanoi this September. Prior to this, a press conference and promotional event were held at the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Rehearsal Hall on Thursday, May 18, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. (Vietnam time). ❖ Resounding Applause for the Magnificent Vietnamese Singing of Japanese Tenors Japanese tenor singers, Kobori Yusuke and Yamamoto Kohei, who both play the lead role of Araki Sotaro, delivered a stunning rendition of the duet song “Boat of Starlight” in beautiful Vietnamese with Vietnamese Sopranos, Dao To Loan and Bui Thi Tran, who both play Princess Anio. Their performance not only drew astonishment and applause from the Vietnamese audience but also prompted numerous thought-provoking questions from the media and generated great interest among the project creators and cast members. *The 30-minute Q&A session was extended to 75 minutes. Following the press conference, it turned into a successful event with interview requests from VTV, TV Nagasaki, Kyodo News, and others. We sincerely thank you all for your continuous support, as this wouldn’t have been possible without you. We kindly ask for your ongoing support in delivering news on our project to many more people in the future.
▪ Princess Anio Opera Project – World Premiere
*Information as of May 8, 2023 Dates: September 22 – 24, 2023 Venue: Hanoi Opera House (1 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam) Led by: Princess Anio Executive Committee (Brain Group, Yamaha Music Vietnam, Association of International Exchange) Joint Hosting: Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra <Princess Anio Opera Project> Honorary Advisor: Yamada Takio (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Japan in Vietnam) Representative: Honna Tetsuji (Music Director and Principal Conductor, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra) Co-representatives: Trinh Tung Linh (Director, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra) Furukawa Naomasa (Chairman, the Princess Anio Executive Committee) Supporters: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, Vietnam Musicians' Association, Quang Nam Province, Nagasaki Prefecture, Hoi An City, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ho Chi Minh City, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Da Nang, The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd., Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., THE SAKURA - Samty & Vinhomes Gold Sponsors Eneos Vietnam Co., Ltd., Becamex Tokyu Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Metal Products Vietnam Co., Ltd., FPT Corporation Silver Sponsors Roygent Parks Hanoi, HOTEL MIKAZUKI GROUP, HÔTEL du PARC HANOÏ Partners: Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall (Yokohama Arts Foundation), Kajimoto, Roygent Parks Hanoi, GMO-Z.com RUNSYSTEM Project Honorary Advisor Yamada Takio Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Japan in Vietnam Department Nguyen Phuong Hoa Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Vietnam Project Representative Honna Tetsuji Music Director and Principal Conductor Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra ▪ Project Introduction Video Music Director and Principal Conductor Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra Composer Tran Manh Hung
▪ Greetings
Yamamoto Kohei and Bui Thi Trang Performing Boat of Starlight Duet as Sotaro Araki and Princess Anio Kobori Yusuke and Dao To Loan Performing Boat of Starlight Duet as Sotaro Araki and Princess Anio Performing the duet, The Boat of Starlight, Sotaro Araki and Princess Anio
■ Photo Session
▪ Q&A Session ▪ Audience ▶ The playbill (in Vietnamese and Japanese) can be downloaded from the following link. https://anio-opera.com/download/ ▶ For those who want photos or other materials related to this event Please contact the Public Relations Team using the inquiry form below to receive a password for downloading. To credit the photo(s), please specify "courtesy of Princess Anio Executive Committee." https://anio-opera.com/form_media/ We look forward to your continued support and cooperation as we strive for a successful world premiere in September. For any inquiries regarding this event and the project, please contact us through the inquiry form on the official website. Furthermore, following the press conference, we have also launched an official website in English in addition to Vietnamese and Japanese. We hope we’ll be able to introduce it to a broader range of English-speaking people as well. Official Website: https://anio-opera.com Public Relations Team, Princess Anio Opera Project Secretariat