At this time of year, less than a week before the arrival of the PMF Academy and faculty here in Sapporo, we would normally be making final preparations for the early July opening of festival. Everything, of course, is completely different this year. Sapporo’s beauty is apparent in each of its distinct seasons, but we are now in perhaps its most beautiful - lush green, cool breezes, flowers blooming in every corner of the city - but it is missing that one central element, which we have enjoyed every summer for these 30 years: growing anticipation of the upcoming PMF! The city seems so still and quiet without it.

Now, after a period of self-isolation, we have gradually begun returning to our normal lives here, and we are able to begin considering, in light of this unprecedented global situation, how we might best serve music, the festival, and the tradition we inherited from its founder.

We are now making plans for both short-term and long-term projects, in order to keep music alive and reach out to everyone awaiting the return of PMF. Some of these projects will be announced soon on the festival’s website. We continue to share videos featuring PMF alumni and faculty all around the globe on our “PMF Connects” page, and we hope to hear from any alumni who would like to share music there!

Also, we are planning to open a “PMF Connects -2020 Summer Festival-” webpage on July 10 - the original opening date of PMF 2020 - with content ranging from concert/documentary videos and recordings to booklets, posters and photos from past festivals, and more!

Meanwhile, we are planning the outline and the Academy program of next year’s festival. We hope to be able to announce details this Fall. We at PMF will move forward, following government guidelines on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our staff during this uncertain time, and will prepare for PMF 2021.

We would like to take this opportunity to let you know of our new online donation website. The financial impact of PMF 2020’s cancellation has frankly been drastic, and the path toward securing the funds necessary for implementing the festival next year still seems fraught with difficulty. If you are in a position to help, you can make a donation in support of our ongoing mission of providing unique, world-class educational opportunities to aspiring young musicians from around the globe, and presenting the fruits of their labors here in Sapporo to a wide audience - an ever popular source of inspiration for music fans. These highly talented musicians represent the next generation of the music world, and they have consistently gone on to take positions of prominence in it. Your donation will help to ensure that this work continues on into the future.

We look forward to welcoming everyone again in better times - to the day when we can once again share music together.

Pacific Music Festival Organizing Committee