His Majesty The Emperor of Japan visits the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ
Wednesday 26 June 2024
His Majesty The Emperor of Japan today experienced the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ’s unique blend of heritage and innovation.
His Majesty The Emperor of Japan visited the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ today as part of the official Japan State Visit to the United Kingdom. The ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ has welcomed Japanese students throughout the history of the College.
The Emperor visited the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ’s new Performance Laboratory, a pioneering performance simulation facility combining state-of-the-art acoustic and visual technology to create immersive performance conditions, bridging the gap between the practice room and the concert hall. ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ musicians demonstrated the special features of the space with a performance of 'Chi il bel sogno di Doretta' from Puccini’s La Rondine by student Misato Makiyama and professor Kumi Matsuo, followed by student duo, viola player Otoha Tabata and cellist Maxim Calver, who performed Bach’s Invention no 8 and no 9.
His Majesty then toured the special, historical collections housed in the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ Museum and viewed highlights including the earliest dated guitar, the Belchior Dias from 1581, and the earliest known stringed keyboard instrument, the clavicytherium from c.1480. Together with ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ keyboard player Apolline Khou, ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ professor Reiko Ichise and student Xavier Lowe performed Ward’s Ayre on a viols from the College’s Kessler collection which includes some of the most remarkable viols from the key makers of the early British tradition, before His Majesty met with students from the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ. 
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Some of the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ’s community of Japanese students were particularly delighted by the opportunity to meet His Majesty The Emperor. Otoha Tabata, an ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ Master’s student who performed the viola in the Performance Laboratory, described how she was ‘incredibly honoured and thankful to receive this unique chance to perform for His Majesty The Emperor’.
This occasion marks His Majesty The Emperor’s second visit to the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ, having first visited the College in 1985.
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