An Unincorporated Association

Patron:
Kyoko Gledhill

Honorary Patrons:
Professor Tomotada Soh (Hon ARAM), George Logan (Dr Evadne Hinge), Alexander Rosenblatt, Kotono Sato (BMus(Hon), MMus, Dip. RAM, LRAM), Professor Gordon Fergus-Thompson (FRCM), Shakti, Michael Soumei Coxall

Director:
Godfrey King

2014 Advisors:
Prof Soh (Elizabeth Soh), Shakti, Jackie Wright, Kotono Sato, Lester Kan, Yukiko Shinohara, Kazue Yanagida, Jung Yoon Cho

Web Site:
Phil Ronan, Steve Rice

Established 1996

Special Features

Pascal's Triangle

Carol I Need You (click to play video)

See Pascal's Triangle feature on our Audio and Video Archive page.

Musician's Chapel Dedication

See the Musicians Chapel dedication January 2nd, 1955 on our Events page.

What we do

Since 1996, the Anglo-Japanese Society of Wessex has been promoting Japanese culture and Japanese artists in events throughout the Wessex region (which extends from the south west of England as far as Southwark in London).

We aim to further mutual awareness through the promotion and organising of our own events and of others including helping to provide information linking members and the public with other organizations sharing the same ideals. We represent a number of Japanese and Japanese orientated entertainers and cultural presenters for the theatre, festivals and clubs, and cultural presenters for educational establishments etc. We seek to serve all aspects of Anglo-Japanese affairs in the region and beyond, and welcome your enquiries. We are a voluntary organization and all funds raised go into society funds. Corporate, Arts organizations, and individual funding will be welcome as well as membership enquiries.

Now in our 17th year, we have taken part in many memorable events that can be found in our events archive.

Since the move to London in 2004 the AJSW has organized several hundred concerts in London alone. Currently our Wednesday lunchtime concerts at St. Sepulchre, the Musicians Church on Holborn Viaduct (near St. Pauls Cathedral) frequently feature Japanese musicians who are some of the cream of Japanese classical young musicians visiting or residing in the UK bringing wonderful memories of great concerts and fond friendships.These concerts also involve musicians from all over the world.

In more recent years we have developed our own groups featuring musicians who have played recitals for us with the piano groups '4Tune' (4 hands on 2 piano), 'Inzpir8tion' (8 hands on 2 pianos) and the 'AJSW Chamber Music Ensemble' as well as the traditional Japanese music and instrument group 'The Anglo-Japanese Collective'.

We also help to arrange cultural presentations by Japanese performers and cultural events for organisations including corporate functions. Our growing links enable us to organise almost everything Japanese.