【press release】
Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary Project
"Kunin New Century"
-The future of music woven together through "100 events"-

Kunitachi College of Music (pronounced: Kunitachi Ongaku Daigaku, location: Tachikawa City, President: Umemoto Minoru, hereafter referred to as "the College" or "Kunion") will be holding a variety of music events to commemorate its 100th anniversary in 2026, including the main event, "Kunion 100 Festival!", in June 2026. Then, for one year from July 2025, "Kunion" and its affiliated schools will count down the "100 events," including the commemorative events, to convey to you the history of the College and the power of music with gratitude.

Over the next 100 years, and as in the past, we will continue to work to contribute to the development of collaboration with the local community and the promotion of music culture through a number of celebratory events that bring together all music lovers and the people of the Kunitachi, Tachikawa, and Tama regions.

Each program of the commemorative project that began in 2024 has already received positive feedback from many people and is currently underway. The events that will mark the start of the countdown, as well as the "Kunion 100 Festival!", will bring together the efforts of not only students and faculty, but also Kunion, a university that has produced 46,000 graduates. Please look forward to the wonderful events that Kunion will be presenting as it prepares for the culmination of the countdown to reach No. 100.

In addition to the visual and sound logos, a motion logo was also created that combined the two. The "Kunion" call includes versions featuring the voices of the youngest children at the university's Kunitachi College of Music Kindergarten and university students. https://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/100th/100th_logo/

The design, which uses Roman numerals and musical notation as its motif, counts up the 100 events that will be held throughout the year, with the letter "C" representing 100 as the denominator. It expresses the university's expectations and renewed determination to continue as it looks forward to the arrival of its 100th anniversary and celebrations.

■Performance/creation business

・"Kunion 100 Festival!" (held in June 2026)

DAY1
"Ensemble of Memories" (Suntory Hall Blue Rose)
"Grand Gala" (Suntory Main Hall)
The 100 Fest! kicks off at Suntory Hall. Enjoy a diverse program that will allow you to experience the history and traditions of our university, including solo, orchestral, opera aria, choral, and brass performances.

DAY2
"Campus Harmony" (Kunitachi College of Music Concert Hall, Studio)
Day 2 is packed with fun events that allow people of all ages to experience the wonder of music and the current state of "Kunion" through various music workshops and concerts. Enjoy a la carte music experience on the lush green campus.

DAY3
"Circle of Music" (Tachikawa Stage Garden)
On the final day of the 100 Fest!, music producer and J-Pop pioneer Satoshi Takebe, a graduate of our university, will be the general director, and star alumni who are the crystallization of the "Kunon spirit" that shines in various fields will gather at Tachikawa Stage Garden. We will deliver a one-night-only premium stage performance by musicians who will pass the baton to the next generation.

■Event and concert business

・Brass Orchestra Exchange Concert Tour (July 2025, 2026)
We will hold exchange concerts with junior and senior high school students and alumni in Morioka and Yamagata in July 2025, and in the Hokuriku region and nearby Kanto prefectures in 2026.

・Choral pilgrimage Rebirth ~towards next new generation~ (held in September 2025 and February 2026)
The "Choral Pilgrimage" is a choral outreach activity that took place during the Showa period, visiting elementary, junior high, and high schools across the country. To mark the 100th anniversary, the activity will be revived in a new form, with students Music Education visiting schools in Fukushima Prefecture that were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in September 2025. A concert titled "Ontama 2026" will be held in February 2026 to report on the results of the activity.

・Kunion Piano Competition (Preliminary event held in July 2025, main event held in July 2026)
The Kunion Piano Competition has been holding pre-events since 2024. The commemorative first competition will be held in July 2026.

・Music Data Science Seminar (held in November 2025)
Combining music with data science, a hot topic, will create a new musical experience. A symposium will be held in November in collaboration with Shiga University, a leader in data science education in Japan.

*Already held symposiums
1st 《Music x Data Science Emergence Session》
2nd session: Music x Data Science x Performance Science https://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/100th/100tn_project/event/20240601.html

・Foreign Language and Music Short Video Contest (held in November 2026)
We will be holding a contest (story and message categories) to accept video works on the theme of "foreign languages (English, German, French, Italian) and music."

■Publishing

・"Eurhythmics for Children" practical DVD production and publication of instruction manual (currently in progress)
"Eurhythmics for Children," the first full-scale eurhythmics instruction manual published after the war by the university's publishing department in 1960, was compiled using practical video footage of students Music Education for Early Childhood and children from Kunitachi College of Music Kindergarten.

・100 Years of Kunitachi Kunitachi College of Music (currently in progress)
You can view our 100-year history, from our founding in 1926 to the present, on our website and in our booklet.

Other Appointments

- Project to build and publish a digital archive of the "Beethoven Early Printed Music Collection" (scheduled for release in 2026)
The university will create and release a digital archive of Beethoven's early printed scores held in its Library, which will include academic commentary and performances unique to a music college, and will hold commemorative concerts and other events (November 2025 and December 2026).

・Approaching Historical Pianos - Kunion Fortepianos for a New Century - Project (June and December 2025)
A replica of an 18th-century fortepiano made by the master Anton Walter was installed, with an inaugural concert scheduled for April 2025. Future plans include concerts, special exhibitions, and summer schools.

*Concerts that have already been held
Kunion Fortepiano Debut Concert: Applying the Fortepiano Experience to Contemporary Piano Performance
http://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/introduction/kunion_cafe/garden/lineup/20250521.html

*Previous press release: "Birth of the Kunion Fortepiano" - Research and Educational Use for the New Century -https://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/NEWS/introduction/20250409.html

■100th Anniversary Event Leaflet

http://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/100th/schedule/index.html 

■ Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary Project Prospectus "Kunion New Century"

https://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/100th/intent/

Contact Information

[Inquiries regarding this press release and interviews]
Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary Commemoration Committee
MAIL: 100th@kunitachi.ac.jp