【press release】
Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary
"Kunion 100 Festival!"
Second round of performers announced
As part of its 100th anniversary celebrations, Kunitachi College of Music (pronounced: Kunitachi Ongaku Daigaku, location: Tachikawa City, President: Umemoto Minoru, hereafter referred to as "the College" or "Kunin") will be holding the "Kunin 100 Festival!" over three days, on June 26th, 27th, and 28th, 2026. Following on from the previous release, this release announces the second wave of performers for DAY 3, "Circle of Music," as well as the 100th anniversary campaign.
◯Event Overview
"Kunion 100 Festival!" DAY 3 "Circle of Music" Sunday, June 28, 2026
The final day's performance will be directed by Takebe Satoshi, who has been a driving force in the J-POP world since the 1980s and continues to produce many legendary songs, and will bring together alumni musicians who carry on the "Kunon spirit." We invite you to enjoy this one-day-only stage performance featuring stars who have realized "freedom, autonomy, and independence" through the power of "music and people" and are passing the baton to the next generation.
Time: 4:00 PM (scheduled start time)
Location: Tachikawa Stage Garden
<Cast>
Solo and collaborative performances by legendary artists
Moderators: Ayako Kato and Satoshi Takebe
Big Band: NEWTIDE & GEMSTONES JAZZ ORCHESTRA
*Legendary artists will be announced sequentially in the release.
*The performance will be in two parts.
Part 1: Pop + Screen Music
Part 2: Jazz + Big Band
Announced artists:
[First announcement]
Yosuke Yamashita, Takashi Obara, Masashi Akikawa, Miho Hasama (commissioned music provided), Harumi Fuki
[Second announcement] NEW!
【KUNION Legendary Artists 2nd installment】(5 persons)
[About NEWTIDE & GEMSTONES JAZZ ORCHESTRA]
NEWTIDE began in 1981 as a group of jazz enthusiasts from Kunitachi College of Music, led by Takashi Yonekura (saxophone). Focusing on performing at events and Geijutsusai (Campus Festival) in the Tachikawa area, the following year, 1982, saw the addition of Masato Honda (saxophone), establishing its current big band style. Boasting a history of awards, including six consecutive wins at the Yamano Big Band Contest, NEWTIDE has earned a reputation as one of Japan's leading jazz orchestras, backed by a long history and a long tradition of high-level performance. While the group was forced to take several hiatuses in 2005, a lecture by Yosuke Yamashita (piano) at his alma mater, Kunitachi College of Music, sparked renewed interest in jazz orchestras on campus, leading to a revival led by Yuya Yoneda (saxophone) and others.
Currently, the group is actively performing both on and off campus, appearing at jazz festivals and performing at live music venues around the country.
GEMSTONES was coined by drummer Akira Jimbo in 2011 when Jazz Music was established at Kunitachi College of Music, and was established as a group within that big band class. As the name suggests, the band's members are current students who are "gems in the rough" in the jazz world, and they made their debut at Blue Note Tokyo in July of the same year. Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, at the urging of pianist Makoto Ozone, the group has been actively involved in live streaming, and in 2021 they even performed at Shinjuku Pit Inn. They have received praise from all quarters for their efforts to encourage Japan's continually exhausted arts and music industries.
Many musicians have come from both NEWTIDE and GEMSTONES, including Masato Honda, Atsushi Ikeda, Yutaka Shiina, Issei Igarashi, Yuya Yoneda, Miho Hasama, Shu Kanematsu, Amane Takai, RINA, Takumi Nakayama, Yaffle, and Shutaro Matsui.
NEWTIDE and GEMSTONES performed together for the first time in a performance of Makoto Ozone's work for the double big band at Kunitachi College of Music of Geijutsusai (Campus Festival) in 2018. After the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023, both NEWTIDE and GEMSTONES resumed public activities and continue to do so to this day.
On Day 3 of the 2026 Kunion 100 Festival, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of our university and the history of jazz at Kunion, we will welcome Atsushi Ikeda as bandmaster and create a supreme big band stage as the NEW TIDE & GEMSTONES JAZZ ORCHESTRA.
◯Count-up event "Original Can Badge Giveaway Campaign" is now underway!
To commemorate our 100th anniversary, our university will be running a "100th event" countdown project with "Kunion" and affiliated schools, starting in July 2025. This countdown project is packed with exciting programs, including a variety of commemorative events and the "Kunion 100 Festival!" During this period, we are running a campaign to give away original tin badges to attendees. If you are planning to attend an event that is part of the countdown, please follow the official "Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary" social media accounts and post about the event and your impressions. By showing your follow and posting screen to venue staff, you will receive an original 100th anniversary tin badge as a gift.
Please stop by the counter marked with the "100th Anniversary Logo" located near the entrance to the venue. Please come along and participate in the "Count-up Event" to commemorate your visit.
*The "Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary" social media is currently being developed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
Campaign details
・Target: Those who participated in the count-up event
・How to participate: Post a photo of the event on social media and show it to venue staff on the day of the event
・Gift: 100th anniversary original badge (first come, first served)
The 100th anniversary commemorative badge collection includes 24 different badges, including rare badges with glitter!
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale from autumn 2025 onwards.
◯100th anniversary project
<Special Sponsor>
Inageya Co., Ltd. (June 27th and 28th performances), Tachihi Holdings Co., Ltd. (June 28th performance)
<Sponsor>
Tachikawa City, Tachikawa City Board of Education, Tachikawa Tourism and Convention Association, Tama Toshi Monorail Line Co., Ltd., Tachikawa City Shopping District Promotion Association, Tachikawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tachikawa Junior Chamber International, Tachikawa City Medical Association, Tokyo Tachikawa Rotary Club
(As of July 28, 2025)
<100th Anniversary Official Social Media>
・Official X https://twitter.com/100th_kunion
・Official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/100th_kunion
・Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577370872460
< Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary Special Website> https://www.kunitachi.ac.jp/100th/
Contact Information
[Inquiries regarding this press release and interviews]
Kunitachi College of Music 100th Anniversary Commemoration Committee
MAIL: 100th@kunitachi.ac.jp