Canon provided support for the "Classical Music Concert for Youth," an event to introduce middle school and high school students to classical music, held on August 18 and 19, at the Tokyo International Forum.

Composer Shigeaki Saegusa has put together this concert series to provide an opportunity to make genuine classical music concerts featuring top-flight conductors and orchestras easily accessible to young people. Therefore, admission is set at the reasonable price of ¥1,000.

This was the fourth time the concert series was held, and this time it spotlighted the music of Mozart. The three pieces, "Piano Concerto #20," "Symphony #40" and "Requiem," were performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and Ken-ichiro Kobayashi, who is active worldwide, was the conductor of this concert, which also featured Ayano Kobayashi as guest pianist, as well as singing by four soloists.

Mr. Saegusa took on the role of classical music guide, using the time between numbers to explain the composition of the orchestra, the background of the pieces performed, episodes in Mozart's life and other related matters. This concert, while being the real thing, was also easy for newcomers to classical music to understand and enjoy.

As a part of its activities to contribute to the community and provide educational support, Canon, through the Ota Ward Board of Education, presented complimentary tickets for approximately 300 pupils of 28 middle schools in Ota Ward, where the Canon Head Office is located.