In addition to their concert schedule, the Munich Philharmonic are involved in numerous educational and outreach initiatives. In Taiwan, for example, masterclasses and orchestra workshops are held in collaboration with the Department of Music at National Taipei University of Education, and in South Korea in collaboration with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra. Educational programmes will also be staged: the children’s concert »Fünf Freunde auf Weltreise«, which is popular in Munich, will now be presented internationally as ‘Five Friends Travelling the World’.
For the first time, the Munich Philharmonic will perform in Kaohsiung (Taiwan) and Incheon (South Korea). The orchestra will have a strong presence and engagement in the Seoul metropolitan area with four public concerts and a private event. The soloist for the Asian tour, Seong-Jin Cho, is currently the ‘in-house artist’ at Lotte Hall in Seoul, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The Munich Philharmonic last performed there in December 2023.
One of the world’s finest concert halls, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, is already celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Munich Philharmonic’s concerts on 11 and 12 May will take place as part of the anniversary celebrations. The concert on 11 May 2026 will be recorded by the Japanese broadcaster NHK and broadcast at a later date.
The Munich Philharmonic and Lahav Shani are embarking on their first joint tour of Asia from 29 April to 12 May. The programme features ten symphonic concerts in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, including Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. Seong-Jin Cho will perform as soloist in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
