From 2011 to 2013, LANXESS is sponsoring SKF Opera for Young People, a portion of the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto. The Saito Kinen Festival is an annual summer festival featuring orchestral concerts and fully-staged operas in the Japanese Alps. It has achieved international acclaim by assembling many of the most prominent artists in the world.

Founded by Seiji Ozawa in 2000, the Ongaku-Juku is a celebrated training orchestra that leverages the power of opera to develop the next generation of Japanese classic performers.

This is the first time LANXESS has supported a music-related event in Japan. In other countries, the company has striven to nurture young musicians by supporting a variety of music events, including the Young Euro Classic (YEC) and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO). LANXESS plans to make its sponsorship of SKF Opera for Young People the start of ongoing support designed to help foster talented young musicians in Japan.

For over a century, encouraging talented young people in the arts and sciences has been a part of our LANXESS corporate heritage and the centerpiece of our commitment to promoting economic and social development. LANXESS believes in the power of music and its great contribution to society as well as international understanding.