Yokohama Symphony Orchestra (YSO) is an amateur orchestra founded in 1932 by Kojiro Kobune and Sotoe Yasojima. In 2023, the orchestra celebrated its 90th anniversary and held its 721st concert in February. YSO has been managed according to the founders' idea that it should be a "Citizen's Organ."

The first YSO concert was held on July 1st, 1933 at the Port Opening Memorial Hall. Since the construction of Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall in 1954, we have had 12 regular concerts per year. Since 1984, we have reduced this to eight regular concerts per year. In February 2023, we held our 721st concert. Our concerts are known as "Concerts for Young People" and are very popular among the citizens of Yokohama.
Every December at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, we play Beethoven's 9th Symphony. In recent years, in addition to our 200 regular choir members, an additional 400 citizen choral singers have participated in this event. We have a large audience of more than 2000 people every year, making it the most attended Beethoven's 9th Symphony concert in the area. In addition to these regular concerts, we hold concerts in schools or other cities upon request. In 1977, we had an amity concert in Manila, which is Yokohama's sister city.

YSO has received various awards, including the Yokohama Culture Award in 1954, the Kanagawa Culture Award in 1982, and the Tamejiro Ando Award in 1983.

In honor of Kojiro Kobune's 100th birthday and YSO's 75th birthday, we published a book entitled "Citizen's Organ: Kojiro Kobune and the Yokohama Symphony Orchestra" on July 7th, 2007.

Tanaka Ken
Suzuki Mamoru
Izumi Shoshi

Yokohama Symphony Orchestra Choir was formed in 1971, mainly by members who had gathered to perform the chorus for Beethoven's 'Missa Solemnis' during the 258th regular concert of the YSO in 1970.

We have concerts twice a year, in the spring and autumn. During these concerts, we perform choral pieces accompanied by our orchestra and play Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the participation of 'Yokokyo to Daiku wo Utaukai'.

2001  Faure  Requiem
  Verdi  Requiem
2002  Orff  Carmina Brana
  Beethoven  Missa solemnis
2003  Mozart  Vesperae
  Mendelssohn  Oratorio "Elias"
2004  Verdi&Wager  Aria and Chorus
  Handel  Oratorio "Messiah"
2005  Cherubini  Requiem
  Mahler  Symphony No.2 c-minor "Resurrection"
  Haydn  Oratorio "The Creation"
2006  Mendelssohn  Symphony No.2 "Hymn"
  Mozart  Missa C-major
2007  Gounod  Missa solemnis sainte Cecile
  Sibelius  Finlandia
  Brahms  Ein Deutseches Requiem
2008  Beethoven  Mass in C-Major
  Puccini  Gloria Mass, four voices and orchestra
2009  Faure  Requiem
  Mendelssohn  Oratorio "St. Paul"