New Music Theater

Reservation

Music as Performing Arts —
From Opera to Performance: Contemporary Music Theatre

On January 30 and 31, 2026, Cabinet of Curiosities presents a music theatre program at the Goethe-Institut Tokyo.

Music theatre is a genre rich in possibilities, ranging from traditional operatic forms to experimental and interdisciplinary approaches. At its core lies the idea of expanding music itself. Owing to this breadth, new works continue to emerge around the world, vividly illuminating the challenges of contemporary society as well as fundamental questions we share as human beings.

Cabinet of Curiosities has long pursued artistic practices that connect music with society, blur boundaries between disciplines, and at times present phenomena that have not conventionally been regarded as music as “music.” This attitude resonates deeply with the spirit of music theatre.

This program brings together several works to explore how music can take shape as performing art today:
a newly commissioned music theatre work by Kai Kobayashi, which attracted attention at the Munich Biennale;
the Japanese premiere of Yukiko Watanabe’s mono-opera Soft Moon, presented in a new staging by Sakuhiko Fuse; a new installation-performance by Noriaki Mori and Satoshi Yamada; and Cathy van Eck’s performance using mask-shaped microphones.
Together, these works form a single program that quietly reflects on the evolving possibilities of music theatre.

Program

• Kai Kobayashi: New Commission
• Noriaki Mori / Satoshi Yamada: New Commission
• Cathy van Eck: Words, Words, Word
• Yukiko Watanabe: Soft Moon

Dates & Times

Friday, January 30, 2026
7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:30 PM)

Saturday, January 31, 2026
3:00 PM (Doors open at 2:30 PM)