[Kumamoto performance report ~Behind the scenes of the concert~]

This is finally the final part of our report on the Kumamoto performance.

We will report on what happened from the rehearsal the day before to the actual day.

The program for this joint stage performance by TYO (Tohoku Youth Orchestra) and KYO (Kumamoto Youth Symphony Orchestra) is as follows:

Ryuichi Sakamoto "Kizuna World" "Still Life" & Poetry Reading ( Yoshinaga Sayuri )
Barber "Adagio for Strings"
Ravel "Ma Mere l'Oye"
Ryuichi Sakamoto "The Last Emperor"
Ryuichi Sakamoto "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"

The previous day (12/24), rehearsal started around 4pm.

This rehearsal was the first time that the things they had practiced in Fukushima and Kumamoto would come together. I wondered how it would turn out... As the leader, I was a little worried.

There was some hectic activity at first, as the band had to rearrange the wind instrument parts and adjust the volume balance to suit the unfamiliar acoustics of the hall.

There are still many things you can't know until you try them together.

Lunch time in the dressing room during the break.

Meanwhile, on stage...

In Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye, there is a solo for the principal violin and the principal viola.

Watanabe from TYO is in charge of the violin and Ishinuki from KYO is in charge of the viola, and even during the break the two remained on stage checking their playing.

After the break, they played together again, then disbanded immediately after practice that day.

We are resting in preparation for the main event the next day.

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The day of the event (12/25).

This is a look at the dress rehearsal in the morning.

Once again, the stage is huge.

The hall is spacious enough to accommodate nearly 100 musicians, as well as harps, pianos, celestas, and percussion instruments.

I spent a lot of time practicing Barber's Adagio, which I was particularly struggling with.

A photo taken backstage after the dress rehearsal.

It's the third day of interaction between TYO and KYO, and they have already become good friends.

We also received a wonderful gift this time.

Yoshinaga Sayuri presented ponkan and early mandarin oranges.

This is the local snack "Menbee" from NHK Kumamoto Broadcasting Station.

thank you very much!

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Well, our trip to Kumamoto had proceeded without any major incidents up to this point, but it was inevitable that something would happen.

There's trouble.

The bell on Otsuki's instrument, who plays the horn in TYO, became stuck and could no longer be removed...

Apparently it had been stuck since the day before, and no matter how much I tried I couldn't get it off.

Since I couldn't fit it in the instrument case, I thought, "Should I wrap it in a blanket and put it in a cardboard box and take it home...?"

A local music store came quickly to repair it, and it was fixed before the show.

This is truly a professional technique... What a relief.

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2pm. The concert is finally starting!

The first part began with a piano solo performance by Director Sakamoto.

Next up was a trio stage performance featuring director Sakamoto, violist Adachi Mari, and cellist Fujiwara Mari.

The program consisted of Sakamoto's works.

If I Live With My Mother Medley Bibo No Aozora
Seven Samurai
Parolibre
Happyend
Aoneko no Torso
The Sheltering Sky

I was enchanted by the warm tones of the viola, cello, and piano.

After a break, the second part began with a joint performance by TYO and KYO.

Before the show starts, we wait in the wings of the stage.

KYO wore a white shirt and black bottoms, while TYO wore a black polo shirt and scarf, each wearing their own "usual outfit."

First, Yoshinaga Sayuri recited a poem to the music of "Still Life" and "Kizuna World," both composed by director Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Michiko Ishimure, who has ties to Kumamoto, recited three winning pieces from a literary competition for young people aged from junior high school to 25 years old, on the theme of recovery from the Kumamoto earthquake, as well as poems by Fukushima poet Ryoichi Wago and his students.

and Barber's Adagio for Strings.

Following Ravel's "Ma Mere l'Oye"

They performed "The Last Emperor" and "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence," both composed by Director Sakamoto.

The encore was "Etude," composed by director Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Yoshinaga Sayuri, Adachi Mari, and Fujiwara Mari also joined in with clapping!

The concert ended safely!

Thank you to everyone who came to the event.

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After the concert, there will be a wrap-up party in a large conference room inside the venue.

A Christmas tree was also prepared, a wonderful touch from the people of Kumamoto City!

The members had been practicing and performing all Christmas time, but they seemed happy to finally be able to enjoy the Christmas spirit.

We also had the honor of hearing from Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi (Twitter: @K_Onishi)!

https://twitter.com/K_Onishi/status/1209969266604163077

A special guest appeared at the invitation of the Mayor of Kumamoto!

It's Kumamon Santa!

The moment Kumamon appeared, there was a huge cheer.

They performed the Kumamon Exercise "Kumamoto Surprise!"

When Director Sakamoto met Kumamon for the first time, he commented, "His eyes are narrower than I thought."

That's true. The pupils are narrow.

Then, a group photo was taken with Kumamon in the center.

Kumamon is very popular!

Although it was a little sad, Kumamon time came to an end here.

Let's have a toast, led by Professor Yanagisawa!

I'll jump right into the sweets and food.

The buffet style meal was a delight for the hungry members who had finished the performance.

Everyone can eat whatever they want, as much as they want. It's a reward for all the hard work they put in over Christmas.

This time, we also received a wonderful gift from someone in Kumamoto City.

These bamboo chopsticks are made by Yamachiku ( https://yamachiku.stores.jp/ ), a manufacturer of bamboo chopsticks in Minamiseki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture.

This is a wonderful eco-friendly gift, as you can take home the chopsticks used at the launch party in a paper case.

I also received an original mug from the Christmas market in Shimo-dori, Kumamoto. The red tree design is very cute.

There is time for chatting while eating the food.

I also shared my thoughts about the concert with Professor Yanagisawa...

As this is our last time together with everyone at KYO, we begin a commemorative photo shoot.

In the double bass part!

In the flute section! The KYO members were delighted to get Director Sakamoto's autograph on their flute cases.

TYO Watanabe-san and KYO Ishinuki-san, thank you for your hard work on the sled for "Ma Mere L'Oye"!

The party continued right up until the venue's closing time, and we had a lot of fun with constant conversation.

The university students seemed to enjoy the night in Kumamoto with the KYO members at the after-party.

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The next day was the day we returned to Tohoku.

The performance was also featured in the local newspaper, Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun.

In the morning, a bus heads from Kumamoto to Fukuoka Airport.

My host family came to see me off.

When we spoke to one of the members who stayed with the host families, he said, "They treated us to delicious meals and were very kind to us. It almost made me feel like I was becoming a loser!"

Thank you so much to my host families.

(Nishimaru-kun will be returning to Kyoto carrying his double bass, and the group will disband in Kumamoto!)

We traveled by bus from Kumamoto to Fukuoka, and then split into two groups, one going to Haneda and the other to Sendai, at Fukuoka Airport.

The members who attend universities in Tokyo are in the Haneda Airport group.

Sendai Airport group. We returned from Sendai to Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate.

We were able to complete our 3-night, 4-day trip to Kumamoto without any major accidents.

I would like to cherish this connection that was born through music.

Thank you to everyone at KYO and in Kumamoto city.