25th Kazuo Itoga Memorial Prize Music Festival

About this event

Held on Sunday, November 29, 2026, at the Event Hall of the Shiga Prefectural Center for Cultural and Industrial Exchanges in Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, the "25th Kazuo Itoga Memorial Prize Music Festival" celebrates its 25th anniversary, carrying forward the philosophy of Kazuo Itoga, known as the father of disability welfare. Pursuing through the performing arts the beauty of "people existing as they are," this grand celebration aims to let everyone shine authentically beyond distinctions of disability, professional, or amateur status. Welcoming dancer and choreographer Narumi Kitamura as general director, local theater troupes, dance teams, and brass bands join newly, traveling across each other's creative fields to weave a fresh narrative. The venue's expansive arena at the Shiga Prefectural Center for Cultural and Industrial Exchanges will be reimagined as "Lake Biwa," with performers and audience joining together to create an enthusiastic, immersive space. It unfolds as a grand collaboration melting away all "walls" of disability, age, nationality, performer, and spectator, crossing boundaries through shared passion. In the finale, with the song "Hohoemu Chikara" (lyrics by Shuntaro Tanikawa, music by Hitoshi Komuro), all people in the venue participate through singing, dancing, reading, and various forms to weave a new story together. Embracing with sincerity the overwhelming expressive energy of people with disabilities and transforming it into new creative energy, this music festival aims to evoke empathy in everyone involved and nurture a new culture together.

Venue

Shiga Prefectural Center for Cultural and Industrial Exchanges

2-137 Shimotara, Maibara, Shiga 521-0016