AFS Friends Association Charity Concert "Dialogue Music - Romantic Melodies Woven by Strings and Piano (11/18)"

　Following on from last year, we have been contacted by the AFS Friends Association, a pioneer in high school student exchange programs, to help plan and support the charity concert "Dialogue Music - Romantic Melodies Woven by Strings and Piano," which will be held on November 18th.
　This autumn, a season of art, enjoy familiar classic pieces performed by Music Dialogue artists Arisa Sakai (piano), Chisa Kitagawa (violin), and Suzutaro Kaneko (cello).

AFS Friendship Association Charity Concert
Dialogue Music - Romantic melodies woven by strings and piano

-Program-
Elgar: Salut d'Amour (Trio)
Kreisler: Midnight Bell (violin and piano)
Dvorak: Silence of the Forest (cello and piano)
Chopin: Ballade No. 1 (Piano)
Piazzolla: Cafe 1930 (Violin and Cello) from the History of Tango
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 49 (Trio)

A message from Suzutaro Kaneko, who was in charge of planning the music side of the event
I am very happy and excited to have the opportunity to listen to my close friends from Music Dialogue perform famous piano trios, as well as our individual solo and duo pieces.
We hope you will enjoy a trip around the world while listening to our varied program. We hope you will use all five senses and think, "That song was great."

Date and time: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Doors open at 18:15 Start at 19:00
Venue: Suginami Public Hall Small Hall (7 minutes walk from Ogikubo Station)
Featuring: Arisa Sakai (piano), Chisa Kitagawa (violin), Suzutaro Kaneko (cello)
Moderator: Junko Akizawa (former TBS announcer, AFS 32nd term)
Admission: Adults 4,000 yen, Students 2,000 yen (unreserved seating)
Organized by: AFS Friends Association
Planning cooperation: Music Dialogue General Incorporated Association

* After applying through the form, payment will be made in cash on the day.

About AFS Japan
AFS is a private international educational exchange organization whose primary activity is high school student exchange. It is a non-profit organization with no political or religious affiliation. With its international headquarters in New York, AFS conducts cross-cultural educational exchange with the support of numerous volunteers worldwide. Currently, AFS has member countries in over 60 countries and exchanges with approximately 100 countries. Its origins lie in the American Field Service, a volunteer organization in the United States that provided medical care for wounded soldiers during World War II. After the end of World War II, AFS began cross-cultural exchange at the high school level with the aim of achieving world peace. The first group of eight students from Japan departed for the United States in 1954, and last year marked its 70th anniversary. To date, over 20,000 Japanese high school students have studied abroad, and over 20,000 international high school students have experienced life in Japan. Over 20,000 Japanese families have served as host families for international students, and 5000 high schools have hosted them. As a pioneer of high school student exchange programs, our goal is to provide opportunities for students to come into contact with various different cultures in order to foster global citizens with an international perspective who strive for peace and mutual understanding.

What is the AFS Friends Association?
The AFS Friendship Association is a network for all those involved with AFS, with approximately 800 members including AFS exchange students, exchange students, returning students, families of exchange students, host families and schools of exchange students, adult and student volunteers, and anyone interested in AFS. In addition to deepening friendships, the association aims to expand AFS's reach through networking activities and events, and to cooperate and support the continuation and development of AFS activities. The core of the association's activities is the "Networking Gathering," held three times a year. Through the AFS network, we have continued to invite speakers active in various fields to give lectures and social gatherings. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, these have been held online via Zoom. Another activity is the "Charity Concert," which began in 2005. It was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will resume in October 2025 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of AFS Japan.

All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the AFS Japan Association's scholarship program.