Yoshiki in Concert with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra on January 12 and 13, 2017, at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage in New York City

Classical Concert Tickets On Sale September 29th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 19, 2016

Yoshiki — songwriter, drummer/percussionist, classically-trained pianist and the creative force of the rock group X Japan — has announced a special concert event presented by Knitting Factory, “Yoshiki Classical Special Featuring Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra”.

The special classical performance will take place on January 12 and 13, 2017, at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage in New York City. Tickets, priced at $105/ $85/ $75/ $65/ $55/ $40, will be available at 11am (EST) on September 29th at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling Carnegie Charge at 212-247-7800 and Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

“I began taking piano lessons and music theory at age four, and became interested in classical works by Beethoven and Schubert,” explains Yoshiki. “In elementary school, I played the trumpet in the brass band, and around age ten started composing songs for piano. I’ve been writing classical music ever since. Needless to say, classical music has been a major influence in my musical career, including X Japan. I was fortunate enough to play Madison Square Garden 2 years ago with my band X Japan. Now I’m playing Carnegie Hall as a pianist with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, which was another dream of mine. Words can’t describe how honored I am to be performing at such a prestigious venue with an amazing orchestra.”

For the Carnegie Hall concert, Yoshiki will perform his original compositions alongside the world-renowned Tokyo Philharmonic; he will also play several traditional classical pieces. The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra was named one of the Top 10 greatest orchestras in the world by CNN in 2015. This classical concert will also take place in Japan and Hong Kong.

YOSHIKI CLASSICAL SPECIAL WORLD TOUR
Japan -Presented By UDO Artists, Inc.-
DEC 5TH (Mon): OSAKA Castle Hall
DEC 6th (Tue): Tokyo International Forum
DEC 7th (Wed): Tokyo International Forum
DEC 8 (Thu): Tokyo International Forum
For Tickets and information, please visit www.udo.jp

Hong Kong –Presented By Big Honor Entertainment-
DEC 29th (Thu) Hong Kong Asia World Expo
For Tickets and information, please visit: www.puffinent.net

Yoshiki composed a piano concerto and performed it with a 77-piece orchestra to celebrate the tenth year of the Emperor of Japan’s reign in 1999. In 2015, he composed the theme song and conducted the Super World Orchestra at the opening ceremony of the World Expo. In 2012, Yoshiki composed the official theme song for the Golden Globes®. His classical concerts in 2014 captivated crowds earning him standing ovations and sold out shows in over 10 countries as he performed classical versions of X Japan songs and popular rock tracks with a string sextet live on stage, as well as some traditional Classical pieces. His album, Yoshiki Classical, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Classical Music chart in 10 countries around the world. Pianist Magazine raved Yoshiki Classical “is a true labor of love from a talented artist who’s made an impressive mark within the classical and rock genres.” The album featured performances by Yoshiki as both the composer and pianist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. Produced by Yoshiki, the album included two songs produced by the legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin.

In film news, the new music documentary about Yoshiki’s rock group X Japan titled We Are X, from Passion Pictures, will be released by Drafthouse Films in New York and Los Angeles on October 21, 2016, followed by nationwide expansion. Since its premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival — where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for editing — the film has continued to garner critical acclaim due to its remarkably candid portrayal of its enigmatic subject, Yoshiki, leader of the Japanese band X Japan.

Chronicling the band’s exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades–persevering through personal, physical and spiritual heartache–the film culminates with preparations for their breathtaking concert at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden. Directed by acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man), We Are X is an astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted–but truly unstoppable–virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world’s most devoted fans.

X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined — captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor — and pioneered a spectacle-driven style of visual rock, creating a one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon. The group is currently laying down tracks in a Los Angeles studio for their as-yet-untitled album, which is due for a worldwide release in early 2017.

For more information about the Yoshiki Classical album, visit: http://www.yoshiki.net/classical.html. Yoshiki is a Kawai Artist.

Yoshiki Official Website: www.Yoshiki.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YoshikiOfficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YoshikiOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoshikiofficial

About Yoshiki
Yoshiki is a songwriter, drummer, and a classically-trained pianist. His rock group X Japan has sold 30-million singles and albums combined, and filled the 55,000-seat Toyko Dome a record 18 times. Now the band’s popularity is spreading throughout the world, having recently completed a sold-out World Tour, performing in North America, Europe, Latin America, and South East Asia. In 1999, Yoshiki composed a piano concerto and performed it with a 77-piece orchestra to celebrate the tenth year of the Emperor of Japan’s reign. In 2005, Yoshiki composed the theme song and conducted the Super World Orchestra at the opening ceremony of the World Expo. Previously, Yoshiki also recorded a classical album co-produced and arranged by acclaimed Beatles producer Sir George Martin and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Beyond music, Yoshiki has his own Visa Card and MasterCard issued by one of the largest Japanese banks. Recently, the legendary Stan Lee created a Super Hero based on him, and for the first time, a Hello Kitty product line is named after a person – “Yoshikitty”. In 2010, he launched his non-profit organization Yoshiki Foundation America (http://www.yoshikifoundationamerica.org), a 501©(3) organization, which continues to donate to various charitable organizations, including supporting Japanese Earthquake victims. In 2012, Yoshiki composed the official theme song for the Golden Globes®, which airs in 167 countries. The Golden Globe® Theme was released through iTunes in Jan 2013, available in 111 countries worldwide. In 2014, Yoshiki completed his Yoshiki Classical World Tour, which took place in 10 different countries (US, Mexico, Russia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, China, Thailand, Taiwan and Japan). In 2016, Yoshiki was asked to be an advisor to Japan House, which will open in Los Angeles, London and Sao Paulo. These offices are being set up in the interest of promoting Japanese culture and technologies.

About X JAPAN:
X Japan is the most successful rock band in Japanese history, and that is not a statement made lightly. The band has sold more than 30 million albums; singles and videos combined, sold out Japan’s 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times – so far – and have played to tens of thousands of fans outside of Japan. In the band’s early days their look and sound sparked a global interest in entertainment, especially with the Japanese cultural rock phenomenon, “Visual-Kei,” a movement X Japan pioneered that spread globally. X Japan formed in 1982 (calling themselves X) by Yoshiki and Toshi while they were still teenagers. Over the next 13 years, the band released five studio albums – Vanishing Vision (1988), Blue Blood (1989), Jealousy (1991), Art of Life (1993) and Dahlia (1996), as well as six live albums, ten best hits albums and 20 DVD releases. X Japan was the first Japanese band to achieve mainstream success while signed to an independent label. The band was so popular they became a cultural phenomenon.

In the fall of 1997, at the height of their success, the band broke up. Four months later, Hide, X Japan’s original lead guitarist, was found dead in his Tokyo apartment. At his funeral, more than 50,000 fans came to mourn his passing. In early 2007 Yoshiki and Toshi resumed communication and later that year X Japan officially reformed. The band launched its reunion in 2008 with 3 nights at the Tokyo Dome. 2 years later, X Japan filmed a music video on the rooftop of Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre with a throng of some 8,000 U.S. fans taking part in the shoot on Hollywood Blvd. But it was on August 8, 2010 that X Japan performed in front of a mainstream American crowd for the first time at Lollapalooza. Immediately following the festival, X Japan played the biggest concert in its history, selling out two consecutive shows at Japan’s Nissan Stadium, filling 140,000 seats. The band’s first North American tour wrapped with a monumental New York date selling out The Roseland Ballroom on Oct. 11, 2010. In June 2011, X Japan kicked off a European Tour at London’s Shepherd’s Bush (selling -out the venue in 30 minutes). The tour continued to Paris and Utrecht wrapping in Berlin before the band traveled back to Japan to play the famed Summer Sonic Festival. That same year the world tour took them to South America where they sold out shows playing to massive crowds in Santiago, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima and Mexico City. X Japan then returned to Asia playing arena shows in Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Bangkok. In 2012 X Japan was the first Japanese band to take home the prize for “Best International Band” at the Golden Gods Awards held in the U.S. In 2014 X Japan headlined a colossal show at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden in the U.S. “We Are X” is a documentary film that chronicles the history of X Japan. In January 2016 the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as a part of the World Cinema Documentary and won the special jury award for Best Editing. It then went to the SXSW Film Festival and won the audience award for Excellence in Title Design.

The band will perform at a concert event at SSE Wembley Arena on March 4, 2017. The Current line up of X Japan is Yoshiki/drums, piano; Toshi/vocals; Pata/guitars; Heath/bass; and Sugizo/guitars, violin.

About TOKYO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA:
In 2011, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 100th anniversary as Japan’s first symphony orchestra. With about 130 musicians, TPO performs both symphonies and operas regularly. TPO is proud to have appointed Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, who has been conducting TPO since 2001, as Honorary Music Director, Maestro Mikhail Pletnev as Special Guest Conductor and Maestro Andrea Battistoni as Principal Guest Conductor.

TPO has established its world-class reputation through its subscription concert series, regular opera and ballet assignment at the New National Theatre, and a full, ever in-demand agenda around Japan and the world, including broadcasting with NHK Broadcasting Corporation, various educational programs, and tours abroad. In March 2014, TPO became a global sensation in its centennial world tour of six major cities: New York, Madrid, Paris, London, Singapore and Bangkok. In December 2015, TPO held Beethoven’s 9th symphony concerts in Seoul and Tokyo with Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra combined into one orchestra. TPO has partnerships with Bunkamura Orchard Hall, the Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo, Chiba City, Karuizawa Cho in Nagano and Nagaoka City in Niigata.

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