Akiko Yano 50th Anniversary Live Set for Tokyo and Osaka in March 2027, With Guests Hayato Sumino and Pat Metheny

"Akiko Yano 50th Anniversary Live - Piano and Vocals 2027 - Guests: Hayato Sumino / Pat Metheny" (矢野顕子 50th Anniversary Live 〜ピアノ弾き語り 2027〜 ゲスト 角野隼斗／パット・メセニー), a concert marking Akiko Yano's 50th anniversary, has been announced. It will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2027 at Tokyo International Forum Hall A and on Monday, March 8, 2027 at the Main Hall of the Osaka International Convention Center (Grand Cube Osaka).

In 1976, Akiko Yano made her solo debut with the album "JAPANESE GIRL," recorded in Los Angeles with members of Little Feat and promoted with the catchphrase "A Genius Girl Appears." From 1979 to 1980 she took part in YMO's world tours, and in 1981 she became widely known through the song 「春咲小紅」. After moving to New York in 1990, she has continued to collaborate with musicians in Japan and abroad and to create new work. Her activities, including piano-and-vocal "delivery concerts" (出前コンサート), cross genres and borders, and she has kept building a musical world of her own through her singing and piano.

To mark 50 years since her debut, the concert centers on piano and vocals, the starting point of her music, with Hayato Sumino and Pat Metheny joining as special guests. A rising star of the piano and a guitar legend known around the world come together on stage out of respect and trust for Yano.

Hayato Sumino and Akiko Yano

Hayato Sumino is a pianist who works across genres, building on a classical foundation with his own arrangements and improvisation. Based in New York, he has grown close to Yano in private as well. She has invited him to her home and has described him as being "like a grandson," and scenes of the two playing piano duets have sometimes been shared on social media. The two share a pursuit of free musical expression, and anticipation is building for the musical conversation they will have on stage across generations, drawn from their everyday friendship.

Pat Metheny and Akiko Yano

The concert will also be Yano's first stage performance with Pat Metheny, a guitarist who has led the global jazz scene with his original guitar sound and rich melodies. Metheny composed "PRAYER," a song on Yano's piano-and-vocal album "SUPER FOLK SONG," for Yano, with Yano writing the lyrics and singing. He also played guitar on songs including "It's For You," "Watching You," 「いいこ いいこ」 and "LOVE LIFE." Yano, in turn, took part in Metheny's album "SECRET STORY," and the two have deepened their relationship through each other's work. After years spent pursuing their own music, this is a rare chance to see the two play together on stage once more.

Two musicians bound by respect and strong trust, across generations and genres, gather to celebrate Yano's 50th anniversary. Billed as a "first and last" occasion for the three to appear together, the performances are limited to these shows in Tokyo and Osaka.

The program pairs Yano's solo performance with a session featuring a legend and a rising talent, planned for these concerts only. Yano's music, still free and fresh after 50 years, is expected to expand through her collaborations with the two guests.

Event Details

• Title: Akiko Yano 50th Anniversary Live - Piano and Vocals 2027 - Guests: Hayato Sumino / Pat Metheny (矢野顕子 50th Anniversary Live 〜ピアノ弾き語り 2027〜 ゲスト 角野隼斗／パット・メセニー)
• Performers: Akiko Yano. Special guests: Hayato Sumino / Pat Metheny
• Tokyo performance: Saturday, March 6, 2027 at Tokyo International Forum Hall A. Doors open 5:30 PM, show starts 6:30 PM
• Osaka performance: Monday, March 8, 2027 at the Main Hall of the Osaka International Convention Center (Grand Cube Osaka). Doors open 5:30 PM, show starts 6:30 PM

Ticket Prices

All seats, tax included.

• SS seats: ¥23,000
• S seats: ¥19,000
• Rear seats: ¥5,500

SS seats may stop being accepted during the presales once the planned number of tickets is reached. Rear seats are planned for the back of the auditorium, and guests are asked to watch from their own seats. Rear seats are scheduled to go on sale from the general sale.

Ticket Sales Schedule

• Akiko Yano Fan Club Member Presale: November 2 (Mon) 3:00 PM – November 8 (Sun) 11:59 PM. https://thegathering.jp/s/fc09/?ima=2638
• Hayato Sumino Fan Club Member Presale: November 4 (Wed) 12:00 PM – November 10 (Tue) 11:59 PM. https://hayatosum.com/8810/
• WOWOW Web Member Presale: November 12 (Thu) 12:00 PM – November 16 (Mon) 11:59 PM. https://auth.wowow.co.jp/realms/wip/member/membership?check_parameter=eplus_yanoakiko
• J-WAVE Presale (Tokyo performance only): November 12 (Thu) 8:00 AM – 11:59 PM. https://eplus.jp/akikoyano_50th_j-wave/
• FM COCOLO Presale (Osaka performance only): November 13 (Fri) 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM. https://eplus.jp/akikoyano_50th_fm-cocolo/
• Official First Presale: November 18 (Wed) 6:00 PM – December 6 (Sun) 11:59 PM. https://eplus.jp/akikoyano_50th/
• General Sale (first come, first served): From January 11 (Mon, holiday). https://eplus.jp/akikoyano_50th/

Notes

• Selling tickets for a fee without the organizer's consent is prohibited.
• The number of tickets for each seat type is limited, and sales end once the planned number is reached.
• Up to 4 tickets can be purchased per person for each performance.
• Tickets are required for children aged 3 and over, and children under 3 are not admitted. Children who may disturb the performance will be refused entry.
• The performance may be filmed.
• Guests who use a wheelchair should purchase an S seat and contact the performance inquiry office in advance. Because space is limited, they may be asked to watch apart from their companions or from their own seat.
• No refunds will be given for ticket purchases in the event of a change of performers.

Organizers and Contact

• Organizers, Tokyo performance: WOWOW / umu / J-WAVE / DISK GARAGE
• Organizers, Osaka performance: WOWOW / umu / FM COCOLO / Kyodo Kansai (キョードー関西)
• In cooperation with: Victor Entertainment
• Planning and production: WOWOW / Sony Music Artists / umu
• Official website: https://akikoyano-50thlive.com/
• Inquiries, Tokyo performance: DISK GARAGE https://info.diskgarage.com/
• Inquiries, Osaka performance: Kyodo Information (キョードーインフォメーション) 0570-200-888 (12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, excluding weekends and holidays)

Performer Profiles

Akiko Yano

Akiko Yano began playing piano as a child in Aomori City.

While a student at Aoyama Gakuin High School, she played at jazz clubs and other venues. From around 1972 she began working as a session musician in the Tin Pan Alley circle, becoming an indispensable presence in the early days of Japan's "New Music" scene.

In 1976 she made her solo debut with "JAPANESE GIRL," recorded in Los Angeles with Lowell George and other members of Little Feat, and drew attention as "a genius girl appears."

In 1979 and 1980 she accompanied YMO on two world tours as a support member. In 1981 her single 「春咲小紅」 became a major hit.

Since then, with universal "love" as her theme, she has kept up high-quality, free and unique activity that is not bound by genre, even from within the pop field. This includes her "delivery concerts" (出前コンサート), piano-and-vocal performances that appear without warning, joint projects with children's poetry and nursery rhymes, and exchanges with a wide range of musicians from jazz and rock to classical, and she has earned high regard for it. She is also supported by many younger musicians.

In 1990 she moved to New York State. After shifting her music production base to Manhattan, she collaborated with world-class artists including Thomas Dolby, Pat Metheny and The Chieftains.

In the United States she released three albums on Nonesuch Records: the compilation album "AKIKO YANO" (1990), with selections by Bob Hurwitz and John Zorn, followed by "LOVE LIFE" (1993) and "PIANO NIGHTLY" (1996).

In Japan she has released more than 30 albums to date. She has also released the best albums 「ひとつだけ」 (1996) and 「ピヤノアキコ。」 (2003), and the 30th anniversary mini album 「はじめてのやのあきこ」 (2006). Other releases include "LIVE Beautiful Songs," a live album from a tour with Taeko Onuki (大貫妙子), Tamio Okuda (奥田民生), Keiichi Suzuki (鈴木慶一) and Kazufumi Miyazawa (宮沢和史), and the soundtrack for the Studio Ghibli animated film 「ホーホケキョとなりの山田くん」, for which she composed the music.

Her guest recordings include Pat Metheny's "Secret Story" and The Chieftains' "Tears of Stone." There is also a 1992 documentary film, 「SUPER FOLK SONG～ピアノが愛した女。」, that records the recording of a piano-and-vocal album.

She performs regularly in the United States, and in Japan she holds an annual autumn homecoming concert series named 「さとがえるコンサート」.

Hayato Sumino (Special Guest)

Hayato Sumino drew attention in 2018 by winning the Grand Prix in the Special Grade of the PTNA Piano Competition (ピティナ・ピアノコンペティション) and in 2020 by receiving the University of Tokyo President's Award (東京大学総長大賞). In 2021 he was a semifinalist at the International Chopin Piano Competition, and in 2025 he received the Leonard Bernstein Award. At the same year's OPUS KLASSIK (オーパス・クラシック賞) he became the first artist to win in two categories at once, steadily building a record of achievements in Japan and abroad. He has performed with prominent orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony, the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the BBC Philharmonic, the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.

While studying at the University of Tokyo, he formed the six-member city soul band "Penthouse." He moved his base to New York in 2023, and in 2024 he held a solo concert at Nippon Budokan that drew 13,000 people, the largest attendance ever for a classical pianist. In November 2025 he held solo recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York and at K-Arena Yokohama, and both sold out. The K-Arena Yokohama performance was certified by Guinness World Records™ for "most tickets sold for an indoor solo piano recital."

He continues to post on YouTube under the name "Cateen (かてぃん)," with 1.59 million subscribers and more than 280 million total views, and has established himself as a new voice for classical music in the digital age. As a composer, he has provided theme music for the NHK program 『サタデーウオッチ９』, the film 『ナイトフラワー』 and the exhibition 『ルーヴル美術館展 ルネサンス』, and has written music for figure skater Yuma Kagiyama (鍵山優真), among a wide range of work.

His musicality has also drawn attention from pop artists beyond the classical world. He has taken part in tribute albums for Studio Ghibli and RADWIMPS, and has performed live with milet, Shigeru Kishida (岸田繁) of Quruli (くるり), Hiroji Miyamoto (宮本浩次) and Tatsuya Kitani (キタニタツヤ). Through collaborations that cross genres, he is loved and supported from many directions. He has made many media appearances, including 『街角ピアノ』, 『徹子の部屋』 and 『題名のない音楽会』, and serves as navigator for J-WAVE's "TOKYO TATEMONO MUSIC OF THE SPHERES." He has appeared on the covers of "Newsweek" and "AERA" and was named to "Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 2023" (30 people under 30 who will change the world) in August 2023.

In 2024 he signed a worldwide contract with Sony Classical and released his global debut album "Human Universe," which won "Classical Album of the Year" at the 39th Japan Gold Disc Awards and was highly rated for both innovation and artistry. On January 21, 2026 he released his latest work, "CHOPIN ORBIT," in three formats, and the nationwide release tour (16 performances in total) also sold out. He is expected to keep making further strides as someone who creates connections across borders and generations through music.

Pat Metheny (Special Guest)

Born on August 12, 1954 in Kansas City into a musical family. He started on trumpet at age 8 and switched to guitar at 12. By 15 he was working regularly with leading Kansas City jazz musicians, gaining valuable band experience at an unusually young age. He first appeared on the international jazz scene in 1974, performing for three years with the vibraphone master Gary Burton and soon showing the playing style that would become his trademark. At 21 he released his first album, "Bright Size Life," on ECM in 1975, reinventing the traditional "jazz guitar" sound for a new generation of players and quickly drawing attention. Over his 45-year career since, Metheny has continued to redefine the genre by using new technology and constantly evolving the improvisational nature and sonic possibilities of his instrument. His versatility is almost unmatched on any instrument. Over the years he has performed with artists including Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Milton Nascimento and David Bowie. His work spans solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras and ballet pieces, and he plays everything from modern jazz to rock and classical.

Alongside his career as an outstanding musician, Metheny has also taken part in academia as a music educator. At 18 he became the youngest teacher in the history of the University of Miami, and at 19 the youngest teacher in the history of Berklee College of Music. More than 20 years later, in 1996, he also earned an honorary doctorate. He has taught music workshops around the world, from the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and clinics in Asia and South America. He is also a true pioneer in electronic music and one of the first jazz musicians to treat the synthesizer as a serious instrument. Several years before MIDI technology was invented, Metheny was already using synthesizers as a compositional tool. He has also contributed to the development of several new types of guitar, including the soprano acoustic guitar, the 42-string Pikasso guitar, the Ibanez PM-100 jazz guitar and various other custom instruments, and took the entire instrument-development process to another level with the mechanical, solenoid-driven Orchestrion and the Pat Metheny Manzor Pikasso Guitar.

Over the years Metheny has won countless awards as "Best Jazz Guitarist." He has also won 20 Grammy Awards across 12 categories, including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and Best Instrumental Composition. The Pat Metheny Group won seven consecutive Grammy Awards, an unprecedented achievement. Metheny has spent most of his life on tour, performing more than 100 shows a year since 1974, and remains one of the brightest stars in jazz. He is one of the few artists who devote time both to his own projects and to those of emerging and veteran artists, helping their work reach audiences and realize their own artistic visions.