Suntory Partners with Carnegie Hall as a Major Sponsor of the 2022-2023 Season

At Suntory, we believe our commitment to enriching people's lives goes beyond manufacturing consumer and luxury goods." Through this dedication, we aim to share our success with our customers, building long-lasting relationships in the spirit of “Giving Back to society,” while forging greater bonds of appreciation between people and the world around them. This is why we are dedicated to crafting the highest-quality products while contributing to a rich and connected society through our support of arts, sports, music, and culture.

As part of our efforts to contribute to the development of a rich culture and lifestyle, we established Suntory Hall more than 30 years ago as Tokyo’s first-ever dedicated concert hall for live classical music. Since then, Suntory has continued to share the true joy of music with people across the globe, offering world-class concerts as well as music education programs for the next generation.

Suntory is proud to become a major sponsor of Carnegie Hall as part of the 2022–2023 season, supporting New York City’s vibrant culture of music and continuing a longstanding partnership based on a mutual commitment to sharing the transformative power of music with a global audience. As part of this partnership, Suntory generously supported the Notables Fall Celebration at Carnegie Hall in New York City in December 2022. Selected Notables Committee members and donors were invited to participate in a special whisky tasting before enjoying the evening’s festivities, which consisted of an exclusive concert in Weill Recital Hall and an after-party. Attendees were joined by Shinji Fukuyo, Suntory’s fifth-generation Chief Blender, for an engaging seminar on the history behind the craftsmanship of Suntory’s Japanese whiskies and the reasons why whisky and music have more in common than one might think.

“The first blend of Hibiki in 1989 was inspired by music. Dr. Inatomi, Suntory’s third-generation Chief Blender, was a viola player,” said Fukuyo. “He blended Hibiki with Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in mind.” Guests had the opportunity to sample our Hibiki Japanese Harmony as well as Yamazaki Sherry Cask and Hakushu Smoky—two key components used in the blending process for Hibiki Japanese Harmony. At Suntory, a variety of whiskies are distilled as components and used to create perfectly balanced whiskies—a process we call tsukuriwake, or “diversity of making.” Fukuyo shared more about his role as Chief Blender and the importance of carefully monitoring the quality of whisky during the long-aging process, determining the characteristics of each component, and blending them to create the perfect recipe. According to Fukuyo, “just as an orchestra is made from a harmony of instruments, our whisky is perfected by bringing the harmony of the diverse whiskies together.” After the seminar, participants enjoyed an intimate private concert that featured the Grammy Award–winning Attacca Quartet, followed by an exclusive after-party featuring premier spirits and beverages provided by Suntory and Beam Suntory.

We are proud to take this important step forward in our partnership with Carnegie Hall, bringing two distinct forms of art together for the perfect pairing of whisky and music. Suntory is committed to promoting richer, more fulfilling lives by sharing its high-quality products with customers globally and giving back generously to the world around us.