Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra

The Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra (TKWO) was established in 1960 under the aegis of the Japan-based Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai. Originally known as the Tokyo Kosei Symphonic Band, it was renamed in 1973 to reflect its growing professionalism and scale of activities.

In 1984 the late Maestro Frederick Fennell was named as its Principal Conductor. Educated at the Eastman School of Music, he was the founder of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. In 1991 he and TKWO received the first Bandmasters Academic Society of Japan Award for outstanding performance. Maestro Fennell served as its Conductor Laureate from 1996 until his death in 2004.

TKWO undertook its first European tour in 1989, performing to acclaim in Austria, Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and in 1993 it made a nine-concert tour of Switzerland. “The Millennium Concert Tour” in Taiwan at the end of 1999 was its first step elsewhere in Asia. The orchestra then made an Asian tour of Taiwan, Singapore, and Macao in April 2002. In December 2002, TKWO for the first time visited the United States and appeared in two concerts at the 56th annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, which were warmly received.

TKWO is now internationally recognized as one of the world’s most accomplished wind orchestras. Its varied activities in Japan include concert series in Tokyo, regional tours, benefit concerts, educational concerts at schools throughout the country, band clinics, and recording sessions.

TKWO has released more than 300 CDs. In 1993 the orchestra recorded a commemorative CD for the wedding of Japan’s Crown Prince titled Grand March “The Royal Wedding,” conducted by the late Mr. Ikuma Dan. “Tonepleromas 55”, a 1998 recording of wind works by Toshiro Mayuzumi with the late Mr. Hiroyuki Iwaki as conductor, received an excellence award in the Division of Records at the National Arts Festival held in 1999 by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan.

Maestro Douglas Bostock was named as TKWO’s Principal Conductor in 2000 and Principal Guest Conductor since 2006. He and TKWO have been moving in a new direction with wind music by taking a fresh look at works from Europe. The Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra appeared at the 12th World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) International Conference to be held in Singapore in July, in Switzerland (Bern and Lucerne), and at the 15th World Music Contest in the Netherlands.