Olmi opens the season in Tokyo: "Every time it's like coming home."

A cultural bridge connecting the heart of Japan to Italy and Emilia-Romagna. Rehearsals for Giacomo Puccini 's La Bohème began a week ago at the New National Theatre in Tokyo , the opera that opens the 2025/26 Opera Season with the return of maestro Paolo Olmi to the podium. He will be joined by a high-caliber cast including soprano Marina Costa-Kackson, tenor Luciano Ganci, baritone Massimo Cavalletti, bass Andrea Pellegrini, sets by Pasquale Grossi, and costumes by Alessandro Ciammarughi. This highly anticipated performance, running from October 1st to 12th, has long been sold out.

"The New National Theatre," says the Maestro, whom the Japanese press has dubbed "a legend of Italian Opera," "is the only Japanese public institution dedicated to opera productions. The hall is built entirely of wood and has perfect acoustics, while the organization is truly fantastic and designed to put not only the audience, but the artists as well, at ease. I have been conducting at this theater since it opened in 1998: it's been a long time, but every time it feels a bit like coming home." Over 300 people, including musicians, chorus members, extras, and technicians, will be employed in this production of La Bohème . The Japanese Minister of Culture is also expected to attend the premiere.

The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra has undergone a complete overhaul in recent years: in Japan, musicians retire at 60, and the Orchestra has been enriched with highly trained and enthusiastic young members. The Japanese singers and the choir speak Italian fluently, and Opera, as always, is a key element in spreading our culture abroad. The stage design is also consistently top-notch: I am delighted to be reunited with director Jun Aguni, with whom I have collaborated for many years.

The theater is located within the Tokyo Opera City complex, along with the 230-meter-high tower of the same name, where bodies of water, canals, and reflections create a magical play of light. The "city" is located in the Shinjuku district and also houses an art gallery, a multimedia museum, restaurants, offices, and shops.

"The Japanese audience is one of the best in the world," Olmi concludes. "We're just now hearing news of the triumphant reception given to the Filarmonica della Scala in Sapporo, and many of our artists from the New National Theater are eager to hear their Milanese colleagues here in Tokyo in a few days."