Music

Thousands Take Part in Beethoven’s Ninth in Tokyo; Concert Includes 5,000-strong All-Ages Chorus

Courtesy of Sumida ward government
A large choir, 5,000 singers strong, sang Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Sunday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:27 JST, February 27, 2025

More than 3,000 spectators enjoyed listening to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Choral” in concert at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, a venue better known for sumo tournaments, in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Sunday.

The annual concert was held for the first time in April 1985. Despite experiencing cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year marks the 38th time it has been held.

About 5,000 people from all over the nation made up the choir. Singers from the ages of 7 to 96 sang the symphony with good-sounding voices.

Junichi Takahashi, head of the ward’s culture and arts promotion section, referred to the upcoming 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and said: ” As a ward that experienced the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Great Tokyo Air Raid, we would like to carry on Beethoven’s wish for peace through the symphony and this historic concert.”