Shaping the People Who Shape the Future of Music

June 4, 2025

Launched in 1995 with the theme “From the World to Hamamatsu and Back,” the Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy & Festival is a six-day event dedicated to celebrating and cultivating wind instrument music. Held every summer in Hamamatsu City — Japan’s aspiring “Capital of Music” — the event consists of two main programs: the Academy, where internationally renowned artists mentor young musicians, and the Festival, where the public can enjoy world-class performances. Designed to “transform your music life,” it offers a unique opportunity for those eager to immerse themselves in music.

Hamamatsu as A Hub for Musical Futures

The Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy & Festival was established as a joint initiative by four organizations, including Hamamatsu City and Yamaha. The goal was to promote the region’s musical culture, as Hamamatsu is one of the world’s largest production centers for wind instruments. The event invites renowned artists to mentor around 100 young musicians each year, while also giving local audiences the rare opportunity to experience top-tier performances. Today, it stands as the world’s largest music festival dedicated to wind instruments.

In 2024, the event celebrated its 30th anniversary. What began as a determined effort to enrich the city’s musical culture has grown into an iconic event — essential for both aspiring musicians and the people of Hamamatsu.

“To truly establish Hamamatsu as a ‘Capital of Music,’ we needed to focus not only on instruments, but also on fostering a rich musical culture,” explains Nobuaki Horiba of Yamaha’s B&O Division, who oversees the event’s planning and management. “Even though Yamaha is a manufacturer, our role isn’t just to produce and sell instruments. It’s to help cultivate the culture of music that grows from them. That’s why we felt it was essential to cultivate new talent and musical culture in Hamamatsu by providing educational opportunities by world-class artists.”

Music has always played a central role in Horiba’s life. His mother was a piano teacher at a Yamaha Music School, and he began music lessons at an early age. In elementary school, he joined the brass band as a euphonium player and continued nurturing his passion for music into adulthood. After becoming a member of the Yamaha Symphonic Band in 2003, he began working at Yamaha Corporation, gaining experience in instrument production and brass band operation.

Seventeen years ago, he took on the role of managing the Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy & Festival — a position he continues to hold today. It’s uncommon for someone to remain in the same role for so many years, and Horiba feels fortunate to be able to spend this time working on something he’s passionate about.

Behind Every Dedicated Lesson

Providing top-tier music education begins with selecting the right artists to serve as faculty. It’s not only about outstanding performance skills — the ideal teachers are also deeply committed to sharing their knowledge. Each year, the Academy team, with support from Yamaha’s Artist Relations, carefully selects around 10 musicians. In 2024, the lineup featured top-level talent from Europe and North America, including saxophonist Nobuya Sugawa.

With such devoted professionals, lessons naturally become intense and engaging. The faculty are deeply invested in each student’s growth, offering firm but supportive guidance. In one 2024 trombone lesson, for example, Lars Carlin gave a pep talk to a fatigued student, encouraging them not to give up. The teachers never settle — they push their students to aim higher, and in turn, the students steadily improve.

Horiba’s job is to support this dynamic learning environment and ensure students can fully focus on their lessons. An important part of that role is selecting student advisors who translate and provide direct support to the students. Horiba often chooses musicians who have previously studied under or performed alongside the instructors — people who can faithfully convey the tone and nuance of what is being said, while also offering meaningful guidance to the students. “It’s not just about translating — it’s about sensing where students are struggling and helping them through it,” he explains. Horiba believes this kind of behind-the-scenes attention to detail is what makes the Academy’s experience truly exceptional.

A Concert That Evolves Year After Year

The other pillar of the event is the Festival — a concert held the night before the Academy begins.

While the Academy follows a well-established framework built over its 30-year history, the Festival continuously seeks new ways to evolve. With many fans returning year after year, keeping the experience fresh is an ongoing challenge. For the 30th edition in 2024, a new initiative was introduced: a second concert featuring the same conductor, orchestra, and program, all held in Kawasaki. This marked the first step in bringing Hamamatsu’s rich musical culture to the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Of all the concerts he’s helped organize, the one that left the deepest impression on Horiba was the 20th anniversary event in 2014. To mark the milestone, he arranged for a full orchestra for the first time. On the day of the performance, he found himself overwhelmed with emotion as he listened to each solo in Maurice Ravel’s Boléro against the backdrop of the orchestra.

“I was thinking of all the work leading up to that moment,” he reflects. “But when the musicians began to play, all my struggles melted away. Watching the performers give their all was incredibly moving — I couldn’t hold back my tears.”

The Joy of Resonating with Others

For Horiba, who has supported the Academy and Festival for 17 years, music is rooted in connection. Whether between teacher and student or performer and audience, it’s never a solitary act.

“When you play an instrument, you’re sending vibrations outward through sound. That resonance is what allows your emotions to reach someone else,” he explains. “Music can be a form of inner dialogue too, but its true beauty comes alive when it’s shared.”

To spread this joy of “resonating with others” more widely, the Academy has introduced new courses for junior high and high school students, along with mini-lessons for local school brass bands. Through his years of working in music, Horiba says he has often felt the deep fulfillment that comes from connecting with others. That’s why he believes these human connections are essential to achieving true well-being.

Horiba shares that he once attended the concert at the Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy & Festival as a university student. He was moved by the live performance — these were musicians he wouldn’t normally have the chance to hear in person. At the time, he never imagined he would one day be responsible for managing the very event that had left such an impression on him. Perhaps because of that formative experience, his motivation remains clear and grounded: “I just want to deliver the things I truly believe are good,” he says.

The Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy & Festival nurtures the next generation of musicians by offering a one-of-a-kind learning experience with world-class artists. In the next article, we’ll turn our attention to the Yamaha Technical Academy, where future professionals are trained in the art of wind instrument repair.

(Interview: December 2024)

More Stories in Harmony