INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

For 15 years, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship has been cooperating with the distinguished Japanese conductor Mitsuyoshi Oikawa—an informal ambassador of Polish music in Japan, a collaborator of the Polish Institute in Tokyo, and an organizer of concerts featuring the most talented musicians from our region in the Land of the Rising Sun. In recognition of his contributions to Polish-Japanese cultural exchange and cooperation with our region, Mitsuyoshi Oikawa will receive the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship Medal Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis on Friday (April 10).

“Mitsuyoshi Oikawa is a long-time friend of our region and an ambassador of culture on the international stage. He is an outstanding conductor who has been working for years to promote Polish-Japanese cultural exchange. Thanks to his commitment, the most talented musicians from our voivodeship have the opportunity to perform before Japanese audiences,” emphasizes Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship government has been cooperating with the Japanese conductor Mitsuyoshi Oikawa since 2010. The Polish Institute in Tokyo is also involved in organizing the cultural exchange, having supported our artists logistically and financially for many years. So far, eighteen artists have had the opportunity to present their skills in Japan as part of this exchange.

The conductor’s visit to the region will be marked by two special events. During Wednesday’s concert (April 8) at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, dedicated to Maestro Mitsuyoshi Oikawa, works by Schubert, Brahms, Paderewski, and Chopin were performed.

That is not all. Today (April 9), students of the conducting class at the Academy of Music will have the opportunity to meet the maestro during a three-hour workshop.

Mitsuyoshi Oikawa will take the podium during a concert at the Pomeranian Philharmonic on Friday (April 10). As part of the event celebrating the 15th anniversary of Polish-Japanese cultural and musical cooperation, violin virtuoso Vadim Brodski will perform with the symphony orchestra. The musicians will perform works by Camille Saint-Saëns and Mozart. The concert will be preceded by the presentation of the Unitas Durat medal to Mitsuyoshi Oikawa.

Beata Krzemińska
Press spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office

April 9, 2026