FREE CONCERT - HANDEL'S MESSIAH

FREE CONCERT - HANDEL'S MESSIAH

This is a Tokyo-Oxford collaboration featuring the The Messiah Festival Choir, Japan who will be joined by local singers and the Oxford Sinfonia, plus soloists:

• Soprano: Miku Yasukawa
• Alto: Louise Innes
• Tenor: Hirohisa Tsuji
• Baritone: Adam Green

Conductor: Hideyuki Tsuji

FREE ENTRANCE with retiring collection. Tickets must be booked on Eventbrite.

On 7th September 2026 at 7:00pm the Sheldonian Theatre will be hosting a very special performance of the classic oratorio, ‘Handel’s MESSIAH’ by the Messiah Festival Choir from Japan, who will be joined by local singers especially for this event. The choir performs the work annually in different locations worldwide, conducted by Hideyuki Tsuji. This year, around 50 amateur singers are making a visit to Oxford with orchestral accompaniment from the acclaimed Oxford Sinfonia. The choir will be joined by an accomplished cast of soloists, soprano Miku Yasukawa, alto Louise Innes, tenor Hirohisa Tsuji and award-winning Baritone Adam Green. The concert is free entrance with a suggested donation of £10.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Hideyuki Tsuji – Conductor
Japanese conductor, tenor and choral director Hideyuki Tsuji is recognised internationally for his distinguished work in the fields of sacred music and oratorio. After graduating from the Tokyo University of the Arts, where he completed postgraduate studies in vocal performance, he continued his training in Europe with Madame L. Guarini, Ferruccio Tagliavini and Helmuth Rilling.As a tenor he has appeared throughout Europe, including performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Heidelberg, Vienna's Musikverein and other major concert venues. Alongside his performing career, he has established himself as one of Japan's leading interpreters of the sacred choral repertoire, conducting and performing works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Donizetti and Fauré.
An inspiring educator, he regularly leads choral workshops across Japan, serves as a competition adjudicator and directs more than a dozen amateur choirs. He is a member of the Japan Choral Conductors Association and co-author of the Sing with Understanding educational series.

Miku Yasukawa – Soprano
Japanese soprano Miku Yasukawa studied at Kunitachi College of Music and the Tokyo University of the Arts before completing the Artist Diploma programme at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.
A finalist in the prestigious Gold Medal competition at the Barbican Centre in 2023, she made her UK operatic debut as Norina in Donizetti's Don Pasquale with Hurn Court Opera, receiving a five-star review from Opera Now.
She has performed with many of Japan's leading orchestras, including Bach Collegium Japan, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic and Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Pasdeloup and the Macao Orchestra. Her appearance in Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust with the CBSO under Kazuki Yamada was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and received a five-star review in The Telegraph. She is a recipient of scholarships from the Yonden Cultural Foundation and the Sidney Perry Foundation.

Louise Innes – Alto
British mezzo-soprano Louise Innes enjoys a versatile career spanning opera, oratorio and concert performance. Equally at home in Baroque, Classical and contemporary repertoire, she has appeared with leading conductors and ensembles throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.
A sought-after interpreter of Handel's music, she regularly performs the great sacred works of Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Mendelssohn, combining expressive musicianship with stylistic sensitivity. Her performances have earned praise for their warmth of tone and communicative artistry, making her a frequent guest at festivals, concert series and major choral events.

Hirohisa Tsuji – Tenor
Tenor Hirohisa Tsuji studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts before continuing his training at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he completed the Postgraduate Performance course and received the Honorary Diploma.
He made his London debut in 1994 as the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah at the Royal Festival Hall under the patronage of Diana, Princess of Wales. Since then he has pursued an international career in opera, oratorio and early music, while also giving numerous world and Japanese premieres of contemporary works.
Widely recognised as a specialist in English song, he has presented the acclaimed recital series A Survey of British Song and recorded works by Britten, Vaughan Williams and Japanese composers. He currently lectures at the University of Tokyo and the Tokyo University of the Arts and serves on the executive committee of Handel Festival Japan.

Adam Green – Baritone
Award-winning British baritone Adam Green has established an outstanding reputation in opera, concert and recital repertoire. Equally admired for his interpretations of the great Baroque and Classical works, he appears regularly as a soloist in the major choral masterpieces of Handel, Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn.
Alongside his concert career, he has performed a broad range of operatic roles with companies throughout the United Kingdom, earning praise for both the richness of his voice and the dramatic insight of his performances. His versatility has made him a frequent collaborator with orchestras, festivals and chamber ensembles across Europe.

Messiah Festival Choir
The Messiah Festival Choir is a specially assembled ensemble bringing together around one hundred singers from across Japan under the direction of Hideyuki Tsuji. United by a shared passion for Handel's masterpiece, the choir prepares each annual performance through many months of dedicated rehearsal, continuing a tradition of presenting Messiah in major concert venues around the world.
Earlier this year the choir gave a preview performance at St Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo to a capacity audience. Their appearance at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre represents the culmination of months of preparation and celebrates the enduring ability of choral music to foster friendship and cultural exchange across national boundaries.

Oxford Sinfonia
Founded in 1984, the Oxford Sinfonia is one of the United Kingdom's leading amateur chamber orchestras, bringing together accomplished musicians from Oxford and beyond. Without a permanent musical director, the orchestra collaborates with a wide range of distinguished conductors and soloists, creating programmes that combine artistic excellence with musical versatility.
Based in Oxford, the orchestra presents a regular season of concerts, including performances at the historic Sheldonian Theatre and St Mary's Church, and is widely recognised for its work accompanying major choral societies in large-scale orchestral and choral repertoire. The Oxford Sinfonia is equally committed to supporting emerging talent, regularly providing performance opportunities for outstanding young conductors and soloists alongside established international artists.