This is a report on the Sendai performance and a summary of the third period.

On Saturday, March 31st, in a chilly Sendai where the cherry blossoms had just started to bloom, the Tohoku Youth Orchestra Concert 2018 was held at the Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi (Miyagi Prefectural Civic Center). The first photo is an official photo by photographer Ryuichi Maruo . I have chosen not to credit him in the photos that follow, as you will immediately notice the difference between these and my amateur photos, which are only good for their live feel and short distances. Thank you, Maruo, for your continued official photography.

Now, there has been a 10-day gap since the Tokyo performance on the 21st, and conductor Toshio Yanagisawa seems worried, saying, "I wonder if everyone remembers the warnings and instructions I've given so far."

The Tohoku Youth Orchestra always forgets things when they get together for joint practice sessions or training camps, but we can hope that the pieces they are playing will have sunk into their bodies.

As the rehearsal began, director and representative Ryuichi Sakamoto gave a gentle call to action, saying, "This will be a performance that will be the culmination of this year's efforts."

Thinking that they might have forgotten the structure of the concert, they went through the pieces in the order they would be performed, including the movements on stage.

"Three TOHOKU Songs," which concluded the first half of the concert, is a medley of folk songs from the three prefectures where the members are from - "Tairyo Utaikomi" (Miyagi), "Nambu Yoshare" (Iwate), and "Soma Bon Uta" (Fukushima) - arranged by contemporary composer Fujikura Dai .

Director Sakamoto, who is particular about the unique groove of Tohoku folk songs, blended into the percussion section and gave instructions on clapping even just before the performance.

The person who was ringing out the clappers with a strong voice was Miura Mizuho, a high school student from Kesennuma. I vividly remember her story of how the tsunami swept away the house next door to her parents' house, which I visited previously. We received strawberries from the farm run by Miura's grandfather as a gift.

Mr. Miura's grandfather is also a folk song teacher, and last year he came to teach us the rhythm and intonation of the call "Choi Saa Saa". You can watch the performance of "Three TOHOKU Songs" at the Tokyo performance one year ago on YouTube . Hearing is believing. Please take a listen.

After going through the basics of music and movement, it was time for the Kageanatai practice before the start of the performance. The members of the group came out to the front and gave instructions on various matters, such as turning off cell phones. Of course, the members of the group were all from Sendai.

From the right, Captain Hatakeyama Akane is from Sendai city. Sakamoto Saiun, a first year junior high school student, plays the flute. Kijima Yuta, a first year junior high school student, plays the violin. Asano Kaiki, a first year high school student, plays the percussion. Kano Ryoya, a second year university student, plays the horn. Soga Hikaru, a fourth year university student, plays the double bass, is actually from Tagajo city, next to Sendai city.

The brass octet, composed by Tsutsumi Hidezumi, a first-year high school student from Fukushima City, who will announce the start of the performance, will be performed on the runway today by trumpeter Nakamura Yuto, Akiba Daichi, and Ide Taiga, horn players Sone Mizuki and Tajima Shiori, trombonist Emi Yuki, bass trombonist Shinkawa Kazuhiro, and tuba player Tomizawa Yuta.

Before the show, the alumni came to encourage us.

The two, Ashina from Koriyama City, who was successfully accepted into university and will be returning next term (her younger sister has been a member since the third term), and the first captain, Hasegawa Momo, who became a music teacher at a junior high school in Miyagi Prefecture this year, pose for a commemorative photo with Yanagisawa Toshio, who said, "Sorry for being in a tracksuit," between them.

Today's lunch was provided by the Miyagi Prefectural Headquarters of JA Kyosairen. We are very grateful to JA Kyosairen for always providing us with meals that are essential to our members.

It was so delicious that I ended up eating my lunch vertically, as I was tired after rehearsal.

Thank you for the meal! And the Tohoku Youth Orchestra Old Boys came to support us.

Among the familiar faces, the one that caught my eye was Iwahana-kun on the far left. Until last year, he would travel five hours each way from Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture to the practice venue in Fukushima City with his giant tuba, but while I hadn't seen him for a year as a junior high school student, he had grown to the same height as a university student. His growth, like bamboo shoots after the adolescent rain, is remarkable.

This is a line of people asking Ms. Okada, the "mother" from the secretariat, to wrap them in TYO original handkerchiefs.

Preparations for the performance are underway not only behind the scenes, but on stage as well.

This year, thanks to the generosity of JA Kyosai, we were able to have a panel exhibition recording our activities, featuring my own random writing and spontaneous photographs.

The donation reception corner in the lobby is also waiting for customers.

Narayama, a female science student who graduated last year, dressed all in chic black, volunteered as a receptionist for our local performance following our Tokyo performance. To her right was Otsuka Mari's niece from the Fukushima office, and Sugato also helped out in job-hunting style. We would also like to thank Patagonia Japan, the world-famous company known for its Outdoor products, for providing us with the return gifts free of charge, and President Tsujii, himself an outdoorsman, and all of his staff! We would also like to thank Nagashima Rikako, an art teacher at TYO , who came up with the original TYO logo and designed the return gifts to feature the TYO logo!

Immediately after the doors open, we will introduce the "RobiCon," or lobby concert team.
Horn Octet "First Movement from Three Episodes/Mashima Toshio" Chiba Daiki, Sato Sakura, Kano Ryoya, Tachiya Ryutaro, Senda Natsuki, Tajima Shiori, Sone Mizuki, Isogai Hinako.

Trombone septet "Bosco Rosco / Tommy Pederson" Ryuyo Otani, Yuki Emi, Sakura Onami, Atsushi Tsutsui, Yukiho Hashimoto, Kazuhiro Shinkawa, Yuta Tomizawa.

Woodwind quintet "Divertimento for Woodwind Quintet, 1st and 4th Movements/Haydn" with Kanno Momoka, Sekine Satoshi, Tajima Shiori, Nishimura Yuri, Kidoguchi Natsumi and clarinet quartet "Clarinet Polka" with a woodwind team of Kidoguchi Natsumi, Yamanaka Haruka, Kurosu Natsuki, and Adachi Hiromasa.

Viola Sextet "GP Telemann/3rd Movement from Concerto No. 1 for Four Violas" Ryo Muraoka, Mikiko Hattori, Nana Takahashi, Shoko Suzuki, Hikari Sato, Miho Konno.

The doors are now open. One by one, the ensembles will be performed for the enthusiastic customers who have been waiting in line.

It was clear from the voices calling out to the audience that the members' families, relatives and friends had also come to listen. This was truly a local performance.

The Kageana Team appeared in the wings.

Next came the brass octet playing the opening fanfare.

The troupe members began to gather one after another in the wings on the left side of the stage.

Everyone took to the stage with the customary send-off by Director Sakamoto.

Even in the out-of-focus photo, you can see Sugano, the flute player, smiling and responding to the director.

The opening song is "Behind the Mask," a work from Director Sakamoto's YMO days.

In fact, this song was performed at the Lucerne Festival ARK NOVA Matsushima, where the Tohoku Youth Orchestra made its first appearance as a planned piece, in 2013. The director himself reviewed the arrangement for this occasion, resulting in a song with vivid brass sounds that is appropriate for the opening of the performance.

The second song was "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence." It was always chosen by several members in the annual survey of songs they wanted to play, and this year we finally got to perform it for the first time as TYO.

The third song was "The Last Emperor". I remember everyone singing this melody while making Shisa in Miyakojima, the summer training camp site for the first year. I was immersed in the sentimental feelings of an old man here in the wings of the stage.

I felt that the first three songs were better and more relaxed than in the Tokyo concert. Drawn by the MC Mari Watanabe 's smooth progress, both Sakamoto and Yanagisawa seemed more relaxed and talkative than in Tokyo, which caused laughter in the audience.

And then there's the person who's up next!

It looks like a halo is shining from behind Sayuri-sama.

Here he comes.

The handmade book containing the poems to be recited shines in his left hand.

In this section, the reading will be accompanied by "Still Life" conducted by Director Sakamoto.

First, we will start with two poems by Kenji Miyazawa, a native of Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, from which the members are from: "The Village Girl" and "The Song of the Star Tour."

Then there are poems each wishing for peace in Hiroshima and Okinawa: "Eternal Green" by Hara Tamiki and "Peace is Wonderful" by Asato Yuki. And finally, "If I Climb That Mountain" by Sekine Hinano, who was a fifth-grader in Fukushima when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck.

Yoshinaga Sayuri's reading, with its overwhelming presence yet gentle and embracing quality, is truly "Mother of Japan." It was a completely different experience from Non's "The Power of a Little Sister" (©️ Yanagita Kunio) at the Tokyo performance. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to appear in the performance to promote the currently-showing film "Sakura Guardian in the North ." Personally, when Sayuri actually mentioned "Hirokazu-san" that day, and when God Yahweh in the Old Testament suddenly called me by name, I was so moved that I nearly knelt down, like Abraham, trembling with emotion and asking, "How does God know my name!?" (If I had known beforehand, I would have recorded it on my smartphone...)

Next up was the first event of the year, a corner where the members of the orchestra performed their original compositions. Last December, Fujikura Dai held a composition workshop, and viola player Adachi Mari, who is a friend of his, also came on the day to introduce various special playing techniques. The members used those techniques to create fresh scores, which they then performed on the spot, and Fujikura and Director Sakamoto gave their comments. Contrary to the initial expectation that "almost no one would be able to compose," everyone was able to compose within two hours. I realized that human creativity can be brought out depending on the environment, motivation, and the people who guide them.

When we asked people who wanted to present a piece at this year's concert, six people raised their hands. Here in Sendai, three people performed a piece by three people different from the Tokyo performance. Director Sakamoto also remained on stage, and everyone in the venue listened to the solo piece with strained ears, creating a tense moment.

The first piece was "Ordinary Happiness," a piece composed by Momoka Kanno, a first-year university student from Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, performed on the clarinet by Natsumi Kidoguchi, a fourth-year university student from Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture.

During the rehearsal at the last training camp, I introduced Kanno's hometown as "Iwaki City" based on the information she had provided when she applied to join the group, but she cheerfully replied, "Actually, I'm from Namie Town, but my family home has been demolished and I'm now living in Iwaki City as an evacuee. I'd like you to introduce me in Namie Town." That was heartwarming. The title of the piece was "Obvious Happiness." The piece with the heavy title was played on a light clarinet.

Next, Honda Norimaru, a first-year high school student from Fukushima City, performed "Sound Play for Cello," a piece composed by Sato Miyu, a third-year university student from Fukushima City, on the cello.

I'm sure the high school freshman was nervous. The piece included some special techniques, which may have been an advantage in that the audience would not notice if they made a mistake, but it was a confident performance in front of over 1,500 people.

The final piece will be "Impromptu for Horn," composed by Nakamura Yuto, a third-year university student from Sendai, performed on the horn by Chiba Daiki, a third-year university student also from Sendai.

"Impromptu" means "improvisation" in French. Chiba said he was more nervous about this than the solo in "Firebird."

After the performance of each member's work, the first half ended with "Three TOHOKU Songs," arranged by Fujikura Dai, which beautifully brought out the hidden talents of the members as composers.

Yanagisawa Toshio is in high spirits with the results of the first half.

Then Nakamura comes in and interrupts.

So sly. I snapped a photo with the intention of doing my best in the second half.

Whenever the camera is pointed at him, Tajima-san always strikes a pose, and Akama Kanayoshi-kun, who also plays the horn, also strikes a peace sign. I repeat, it's amazing how much a junior high school student can grow in height. He's probably grown 20 centimeters in the last three years.

This year, all the horn players were in high spirits and had a great sense of unity as a section.

Kano-kun on the left,

I thought the high-five would make him feel relaxed.

Just as all the members were getting into position, they suddenly ran backstage, crying out "Oh no, oh no!" Tuning had already started. They seemed to have gone back to the dressing room.

After a while, he came down the stairs again, saying "Oh no, oh no." The tuning was already over.

Apparently, they forgot their mutes and went back to the dressing room to get them. The Tohoku Youth Orchestra is known for forgetting things, but this was the first time they had forgotten their instruments during a performance. We would like to share this as a lesson to our members not to forget their instruments.

The first main piece of the second half is the symphonic poem "La Mer" by Claude Debussy. Director Sakamoto checks the performance of the orchestra members in conductor mode.

Yanagisawa's conducting of "The Sea" naturally becomes grandiose.

In the booth of sound engineer Seigen Ono, who was here again today to record.

Director Sakamoto was so engrossed in the sound check that he conducted without anyone noticing!

I found a good photo spot through the gap in the soundboard.

The members off stage were also listening and cheering from the wings.

The performance of "The Sea" progresses smoothly.

The ending was recorded using a special camera set up in the wings of the stage.

The 20-minute performance of Debussy's La Mer came to a perfect end. Yanagisawa-san stepped back to the wings of the stage to applause from the packed audience.

It's a smile that says, "At least we've gotten over one hurdle."

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I met Director Sakamoto, who was waiting for me backstage.

Next, the second main piece of the year, Igor Stravinsky's "The Firebird (1919 version)", began.

There was plenty of time for me to get off, but

The performance on stage was tense and passionate. However, it seemed to be a more relaxed performance than the Tokyo performance. And when the performance reached a fitting ending, I couldn't help but press the record button on the special camera set up in the wings of the stage, wanting to capture this moment.

The never-ending applause from the audience touched my heart.

And finally, it was time for an encore. The host, Mari Watanabe, called the head director Ryuichi Sakamoto, the conductor Toshio Yanagisawa, and the guest Sayuri Yoshinaga onto the stage one by one to ask for their thoughts and comments on the day.

This will be the last performance of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's third term. The theme song "ETUDE" is from Director Sakamoto's 1984 work, which was the predecessor of the instrument restoration project "Children's Music Revival Fund". A performance from the Lucerne Festival ARKNOVA Matsushima five years ago has been uploaded, so I will post a link .

Yoshinaga Sayuri also joined in on stage, clapping along.

The entire program of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra Concert 2018 has finally come to an end.

The performers and members of the troupe come backstage.

Captain Akane Hatakeyama, who is from Sendai, looked overwhelmed with emotion as the third period of the group came to a close with a local performance.

Time to praise each other's performances,

As the "supervising teacher," this is the happiest time of the year.

The Takahashi sisters, who usually keep a conscious distance from the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, are both deeply moved by their activities.

Even though it's out of focus, you can tell they are sisters.

The members boldly went over to Sayuri to ask for a handshake.

I no longer knew whether people were crying, laughing, or both.

In the sense that we created one stage together,

Japan's leading actresses and world-famous musicians,

Maestros and famous announcers,

Whether you're an elementary school student or a college student who will be joining the workforce tomorrow,

It's a moment when each and every person on stage becomes friends on an equal footing.

thank you for your hard work.

Mr. Takeda Manabu from the Fukushima office, talking to Mr. Soga in the left corner, was also in tears. I think today's performance was made possible thanks to Mr. Yanagisawa's guidance in his absence. Thank you very much. You are the backstage MVP of this season!

The backstage area has been cleaned up after the large musical instruments have been removed.

From here, we will use photographs by the band's recorder, Abe "Dandy" Hidekatsu (cello), a second-year university student from Fukushima, to report on the band's first event of the year, a farewell party for the graduating fourth-year university students.

First of all, we see the smiles of people relieved from the tension of the performance.

The members will be asked to sit in the audience in the hall and the graduating members will be introduced one by one.

First up is Hattori Mikuko on viola.

He was a really reliable person, sometimes willing to be the villain and give harsh words to the members. And even though he was working for a railway company in Hokkaido, he created the Tohoku Youth Orchestra Alumni Association and declared that he would become its first chairman.

Cellist Shimomura Suzunosuke.

He has an unusual history of serving in the Self-Defense Forces, and his impressive cello skills have seen him perform in quartets and trios with Director Sakamoto.

Hikaru Soga on double bass.

At this point, I couldn't sit still and said, "I'll pick up the comments."

Mari Watanabe came to the audience with a handheld microphone. I am always grateful for her quick thinking and initiative. Thank you very much.

Oboe player Saki Torii.

For three years, he looked after the group from Iwate Prefecture who took the Shinkansen from Morioka Station.

The farewell party will take place in this magnificent hall, which we have rented exclusively for ourselves.

Next up is Sone Mizuki on the horn.

She is a member of the first batch and will be working as a kindergarten teacher as a Sendai City employee from April. She will be in charge of the accounting for the alumni association. This is very encouraging.

Clarinetist Natsumi Kidoguchi.

He said that he aims to become a professional musician from April, and that he would like to continue to be involved with TYO in some way, such as teaching.

Sato Seika, the flute player. Although she has been a member since the third term, she blended in with the group with a sense of dignity.

After the introduction of all the graduating members was finished, Coach Sakamoto had a surprise.

A special bouquet of flowers was presented to Akane Hatakeyama, who has served as captain for the past two years.

Captain Hatakeyama gives an idol-like speech of thanks.

I recently came across a book called "The Rules of an Ever-Victorious Captain: The Strongest Leaders Learned from Sports," and I believe that these past two years have been made possible only by Hatakeyama's captaincy.

We will also hear a few words from Masato Oshiki, Representative Director of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, who also attended the Sendai performance.

Oshiki-san, who expressed his gratitude for the concerts in Tokyo and Sendai and his hopes for further development in the future, will take up the post of Representative Director and President of Yamaha Music Japan, Yamaha's domestic sales company , from April this year.

Mr. Oshiki, one of the founding members of the Children's Music Revitalization Fund, we would like to ask for your continued support.

The finale, as has become customary, is a five-finger clap led by Director Sakamoto.

thank you for your hard work~.

After this, a furious wave of people swarmed around the director for an impromptu autograph session and commemorative photo session.

The director happily obliges, right up until the last minute when he manages to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.

But it's time to say goodbye to everyone.

The members of the group are now heading home, and here we are on a bus heading to Fukushima Station via Sendai Station.

The Sendai performance was also covered by numerous media outlets.
It was featured on the NHK Sendai news that day.
The articles included articles in the Kahoku Shimpo newspaper , which is sponsored by a board member company, the Fukushima Minpo newspaper , which is also a board member company, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper , the Sankei Shimbun newspaper , and Dentsu Newspaper, including about the Tokyo performance .

The third term of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra has come to an end. This term, in order to make use of the donations we received, we purchased our own percussion instruments and were able to borrow the hall at the Fukushima Minpo headquarters to have a home where we could practice regularly. In our third year, we feel that we have finally established the foundation to support our activities. Under the leadership of Akane Hatakeyama, who became captain for the second year from the previous term, the roles of the members were organized, and in particular, our independent attempt to hold volunteer concerts in disaster-stricken areas while raising funds through crowdfunding was an activity that made us feel the significance of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's existence. Along with these efforts, the scope of our activities has expanded to include performing at the Ekicon at Tokyo Station to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of JR East Japan, playing commercial music for Mitsubishi Corporation, performing at the 3/11 Memorial Event in Miyagi Prefecture, and performing as the opening act for the badminton league tournament.

I believe that confining music to the world of meaning as "words" is a barbaric act that suppresses the rich human sensibility "before language acquisition" that music expresses, but I would like to touch on the unexpected breadth of meaning that this year's "La Mer" and "The Firebird" symbolize. At the start of this season, in the process of selecting the main pieces for the concert, a questionnaire was also taken of the orchestra members, and in the end, through discussions between director Ryuichi Sakamoto and maestro Toshio Yanagisawa, Claude Debussy's symphonic poem "La Mer" and Igor Stravinsky's ballet suite "The Firebird (1919 version)" were decided upon. Regarding the selection of "La Mer," it is true that some voices were raised that it was inappropriate for an orchestra formed in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which caused devastating tsunami damage, to perform "La Mer." I will never forget the child who, through a chance encounter, visited Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, during the first summer training camp of TYO, put his face on the beautiful beach that is said to be the most beautiful in the Orient, and shouted "Shoppeeee!" For the members of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, it was an ocean that they could not enter. At this season's training camp in Ishigakijima, not only were there members who "entered the real ocean for the first time in their lives," but we also heard some say, "I was so scared that I couldn't even look at the ocean after the earthquake."

I think that experiencing the ocean, which shows the splendid colors of Okinawa from moment to moment, twice was an important process for the members to heal the trauma of the "terrible ocean". Debussy's work, which marks the 100th anniversary of his death this year, was beyond the capabilities of the members, and in Ishigaki Island, Yanagisawa sang the melody in front of the members who could not even make a sound in front of the score of "The Sea". That was the level they started from.

In fact, when we entered the training camp in March, I was constantly worried about whether we would be able to perform a performance that would satisfy the audience who had paid to come and see us. Even professional orchestras have difficulty performing "The Sea" and "The Firebird," so I sometimes tried to be overly optimistic and thought that if things didn't go well, they would be forgiven for it. However, in the end, the Miracle Orchestra managed to do something about it, and after the Tokyo and Sendai performances, the Tohoku Youth Orchestra was able to confidently perform the lush and fresh "The Sea" and "The Firebird" in a way that only a professional orchestra could.

The kickoff for this season was Marine Day on July 17th , and I learned about it from a Facebook post by trumpet section leader and Christian Nakamura Yuto , but the final performance of this season, the Sendai performance, was on March 31st, which was Easter. "The Firebird" is a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, represented as a phoenix or phoenix around the world. In other words, the third season began with "The Sea," and was in a dramaturgy that overcame the "Sea" psychologically and technically, and achieved the resurrection of "The Firebird." The intention of Director Sakamoto and Mr. Yanagisawa in selecting the two songs happened to be synchronized with the time axis of Marine Day on July 17th and Easter on March 31st. I cannot hide my great surprise that this was not someone's deliberate plan, but a drama that was set up by chance. I also heard that March 31st was Orchestra Day . Apparently it was a play on words of "first in the ears." If that's the case, I think it would be fine to call it "Big Band Day" or "Singing and Playing Acoustic Music Day" instead of "Orchestra Day", but that's just the way it is. I want to have both Christianity and Japanese puns on my side. I would like to take a big, confident stance and say that the Tohoku Youth Orchestra is an orchestra that receives good arrangements at unintended times and is blessed with the blessings of coincidence. As a commentator on a Nippon Television news program the other day, where I was introduced as "enjoying the 'coincidence' of life", I feel like I want to brag and say that the Tohoku Youth Orchestra is continuing to exist thanks to a power beyond human understanding.

Well, while basking in the rare positive feeling of TYO, the third season "overcoming the sea" feels like a milestone for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, marking the end of season 1. It's not just for operational reasons that we no longer need to hold our summer training camp in Okinawa, but also the beginning of season 2, where we will hone our musicality and creativity. In that sense, I personally think that the TYO-style "Umi" and "Firebird," which have been so well-crafted, should be performed repeatedly from time to time. There is also a full version of "Firebird," so I'm afraid some people will start breathing fire, so I'll stop here.

Thank you very much to everyone who attended our concert in 2018 and to everyone who supported and cooperated in making it possible.

The Tohoku Youth Orchestra is an organization that exists thanks to the financial support we receive from everyone. We are currently calling for crowdfunding for our fourth term of activities.
https://japangiving.jp/campaigns/33779

Thank you for your continued support!