NHK Symphony Orchestra Performance History Search and Online Catalog now available

Originating from the New Symphony Orchestra founded in 1926, the NHK Symphony Orchestra (NHKSO) has been active for 100 years, with its core activities centered on subscription concerts in Tokyo, as well as performances across Japan and overseas, broadcasts, and recordings. It is no exaggeration to say that its history parallels the progress of Japan's classical music scene.

In recognition of the importance of its history, the NHKSO has compiled and published "Performance Records" on occasions such as anniversaries, containing information such as performance dates, venues, performers, and program titles. Most recently, in 2014, PDF data of these records was made available on its website (up to 2020).

In 2015, in preparation for its 100th anniversary, the NHKSO launched an "Archive Project," cataloging and digitizing historical materials such as performance programs, its journal "Philharmony," flyers, and archival photographs. At the same time, we have also been working to link these materials to its "Performance Records." Now, to mark the 100th anniversary of the NHKSO's founding, we have decided to open to the public, as a result of the above project, portions of our "Performance History Search" and " NHKSO Online Catalog Search" as searchable databases.

We hope you will use these two databases for various purposes, such as tracing the memories of your youthful NHK Symphony Orchestra concerts, researching the performance history of your favorite artists, discovering hidden masterpieces from the past that are rarely performed these days, or for research and study purposes.

January 16, 2026
NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo