our story

The International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC) is a non-profit organization, which was formed to advance human well-being through music and all the arts.

Established in 1996, IFAC was officially recognized by the Government of Tokyo as a non-profit organization in 1999. The foundation has since enjoyed the backing of a great number of art enthusiasts who have pledged support for our objectives and kindly contributed to our activities in various ways.

our chairman
DR HARUHISA HANDA

It is my firm conviction that both the civilization and culture of the 21st century are reaching beyond the borders of art, religion, welfare, economics, politics and other realms. The current times are particularly characterized as an age of economics, and in recent years corporate patronage of the arts and culture has expanded greatly.

latest news & events

Guys & Dolls at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2025 1420 960 ifaccontent

Guys & Dolls at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2025

This March, audiences time travelled to 1950s New York for this year’s spellbinding Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production of Guys and Dolls. This masterpiece all-American musical tells the tale of two pairs of lovers who, in their own ways, have to navigate and realise their love in the face of hidden gambles and bets.

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WEST SIDE STORY AT HANDA OPERA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR 2024 2048 1280 ifaccontent

WEST SIDE STORY AT HANDA OPERA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR 2024

The musical is in many ways, alongside jazz, America’s greatest musical achievement, and Bernstein here weaves this history together with broader symphonic traditions in Europe. Opera Australia’s brilliant dancers turned out in full force for this production, with revival choreography by Kiira Schmidt Carper.

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Photo credit: Hamilton Lund

we support

Photo credit: Prudence Upton
music & theatre

IFAC proudly supports music, theatre, dance and poetry through various global partnerships including world class performances with Opera Australia and Japan’s oldest theatre art Noh.

In Australia, set against its stunning backdrop, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour continues to redefine operatic theatre and the imaginative spaces in which art can be performed.

In Japan, Noh theatre is performed incorporating traditional masks, costumes and various props, in a dance based cultural performance, drawing on its 14th century heritage.

Visual Arts

IFAC sponsors and supports visual arts at all levels including its ongoing partnership with the Annual International High School Arts Festival in Japan and its historical partnership with the British Museum.

The annual International High School Arts Festival in Japan is an opportunity for senior high school students to showcase their outstanding creative talent on a global platform.

IFAC and the British Museum’s partnership showcased the art and culture of Japan, sharing its beauty with the millions of people visiting the British Museum every year.

youth education

For more than 20 years now IFAC has partnered with some outstanding organisations such as The Juilliard School, Sing for Hope and the Australian Singing Competition supporting youth education within music, arts and culture at a global level.

Through the partnership with IFAC, Juilliard has been able to bring some of the most renowned singers and musicians in the world to work with their young singers.

Sing for Hope now have a decade-long commitment to support toward their programs in New York City as well as dynamic new creative initiatives around the globe, whilst in Australia the Australian Singing Competition has been elevated from a valued contest with piano, to an internationally respected and locally celebrated event.

our partners

@ifac_global