This is a report from the third and final day of the pre-concert training camp.

Yes, it's Non. She came to the rehearsal today to recite a poem for the Tokyo performance.
Today is the last day of the training camp, which means tomorrow is the real thing!
The whiteboard looks like this:

Today, under the direction of Toshio Yanagisawa, we went through a final check of all the songs from morning through to afternoon and into the evening.

In the afternoon, the members of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, who will be supporting us during the performance, joined us for practice. Here is the lineup for the performance.

The two main pieces are difficult, so I am very grateful to have the help of the professionals, and above all, it is a rare opportunity to play together, including today. I think that the way to improve in anything, not just in the arts, is to play with talented people.

In the afternoon, we practiced the original pieces that were performed by the members, which became a part of the program this year. At the end of last year, all the members composed songs at a composition workshop led by contemporary composer Dai Fujikura . From among those, six members chose to present their pieces, and the composer chose a member to perform them. The composer will then perform them at the concert.

For example, the piece "Playing with Sounds for Cello" composed by Mimu Sato, a third-year university student from Fukushima City,

(Photo by camera-loving Yu Miyagawa of the secretariat)
Honda Norimaru, a first-year high school student from Fukushima City, will be playing the cello.

That's the style.

The first song at tomorrow's Tokyo concert will be,
"Ao," a piece composed by Ichikawa Mana, a fifth-grade elementary school student from Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, was performed on the violin by Watanabe Masahiro, a third-year high school student from the same city.
The second song is,
Miyu Sato, a third-year university student from Fukushima City, performed the violin version of "Dawn of a Small Town," a piece composed by Ayaka Kikuchi, a first-year high school student from Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture.
The third song is,
Hinako Isogai, a second-year university student from Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, performed the piece "The Arrival of Morning" composed by Fumie Suga, a first-year university student from Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, on the horn.

I will be performing these three songs.

Director Sakamoto gave us some advice ahead of tomorrow's performance.

"An orchestra is an ensemble. In other words, please play with awareness of the unity of each part. Please be aware of the breathing and movements of your neighbors and those around you and create unity." (Sorry for the super-translation)

Just like in the real performance, a harp was also included, and some members happily posed for commemorative photos sandwiched between two harps for the first time.

Karin Hashimoto, the smiling double bassist, must like large instruments. She's always smiling, so maybe the size of the instrument doesn't matter to her.
Not only that, but even break time becomes valuable time.

Masayuki Miyagawa, the second violinist and principal player of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, came to teach the string section extended playing techniques last fall. Due to this connection, he is joining the first violin support members for this performance.

Advice to concert mistress Chiba Hazuki. Although originally scheduled to finish by 5pm, she stayed with us until the evening practice (as photographed by Miyagawa Yutaka with a telephoto lens).

Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra tomorrow.

Commissar Chiba looked nervous with the performance coming up tomorrow, but he said they'd already practiced hard for three days so they'd be fine, and posed for a commemorative photo with a smile between the director and conductor.

The T-shirt Chiba is holding is a charity T-shirt for the Children's Music Revival Fund, a school musical instrument restoration project launched in 2011 and which is the predecessor to TYO. Kume Seni, Japan's first T-shirt manufacturer, produced the T-shirt and provided it from their stock free of charge for this training camp.

Mao Fukuzumi, a first year junior high school student who was not on the stage in the two main songs, helped Yu Miyagawa (a camera lover) from the administration line up the T-shirts. Great!

After four hours of practice in the afternoon for tomorrow, the orchestra members were introduced to the "thank you gifts for donations" that will be displayed in the lobby of the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall tomorrow.
First, there will be a gift in return for donations of 20,000 yen or more.

What is that silver object that camera enthusiasts have? It's in a tube.

The product was called "MINIMAID" and contained disaster prevention items such as a lantern, radio, poncho, and whistle.

Director Sakamoto also gave it a thumbs up. The exterior parts of existing products have been designed to TYO specifications by Rikako Nagashima , an art teacher and designer at TYO. All other return gifts also have the TYO logo design by Rikako Nagashima, but Patagonia Japan, which was introduced this time, provided their products free of charge through Nagashima's introduction. Thank you very much to President Tsujii and all the staff.

The Mia bottle that Director Sakamoto is holding is a gift in return for donations of 10,000 yen or more, and was selected and provided by President Tsujii with a disaster prevention perspective in mind.

The director was about to take out his wallet right then and there. That's how good the items are. Patagonia also provided pouches and cups, all of which are functional from a disaster prevention perspective, and are a selection of items that you would expect from a world-famous outdoor brand manufacturer, and we are waiting for your donations.

This 2-way bag is designed by the German brand "notabag" . It fits in the palm of your hand when stored, but when it becomes a tote bag,

It can also be used as a backpack.

The gift is made of reflective material, making it suitable for use at night or in the event of a disaster. We also have organic bags made in India, large original handkerchiefs that the band members wear at every concert, and original stickers available for a donation of 500 yen. If you are coming to the venue tomorrow, please bring plenty of cash with you. I plan to buy, or rather donate, and get a gift.

During dinner time from 5pm, a group stayed behind to practice at the request of conductor Yanagisawa. They wanted to improve the percussion in "Three TOHOKU Songs" (video), arranged by Fujikura Dai.

Coach Sakamoto also taught the students a sense of rhythm by clapping.

Yu Igarashi, a first-year university student from Fukushima City, was in charge of the gong. After just a few minutes of intensive training, he was able to create a sense of Tohoku groove that was completely different from the original. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's performance.

Outside the rehearsal room, everyone was crazy about ice cream instead of going to dinner. This evening, we received ice cream and a gift from the Acorn Badge Charity for East Japan Reconstruction Support, which our group is working on, from Mitsukoshi Isetan, who has been our sponsor for three consecutive years.

Publicity department managers Michi Kato and Natsue Nakagara sent us words of encouragement and thanks for our performance at Sendai Mitsukoshi on the 10th.

We will be performing "ETUDE", the theme song for the Acorn Badge Charity, as an encore again this year. Thank you very much.

After the dinner break, tomorrow's guest performer, Non, came in for rehearsal.

Apparently, this was the first time these two had met. When Non appeared, the members of the group shouted, "Wow!"

It was Director Sakamoto's idea to ask him to recite a poem at the Tokyo performance.

As soon as Non uttered the title of the first poem she read, "Village Girl," the world of Miyazawa Kenji began to sparkle. If Yoshinaga Sayuri's reading made me feel at ease, as if I was being wrapped up in a "Japanese mother," Non's reading made me feel warm and encouraged by a "Japanese village girl." Perhaps it would be misleading to say "village girl." Rather, I felt the "power of a younger sister" that Kunio Yanagita spoke of. The members who were able to experience the differences between the two performers from the same special seat on the same stage during the Tokyo and Sendai performances had a rare experience.

Director Sakamoto gave the OK on the first take, and Non seemed surprised, asking "Is it okay to go home so early?" However, the director's intention was probably to express the freshness of this innovative combination on tomorrow's stage.

Non-san brought us some local sweets from her hometown, Hyogo Prefecture. Thank you very much. All the members of the troupe are looking forward to performing together tomorrow.

After the rehearsal with Non, we practiced carefully to shape the parts that Toshio Yanagisawa was particular about. The staff at the office are confident that we will be able to give everyone who comes tomorrow a taste of TYO's unique renditions of "Umi" and "Hi no Tori."

Unfortunately, the weather is getting colder and there is even a forecast of snow, but we hope that tomorrow will be a memorable day where you can hear good, hopeful sounds.