We held a photo and word exhibition titled "Tohoku Youth Orchestra: History of Activities."

Marking the 10th anniversary of 3/11, we were able to hold an exhibition in Tokyo and Sendai to commemorate the publication of the book, "Resound, the Sound of Hope."

The Tokyo venue is Sanyodo Bookstore on the corner of Omotesando intersection.

We were kindly offered the gallery on the second floor of this bookstore, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year and is a worthy landmark and face of the town.
At the venue, videos of past regular concerts were played and photographs and words were displayed in chronological order, just like the book, allowing visitors to see the group's progress to date.

Given the current situation, we have also prepared a remote viewing video : https://youtu.be/HbW5lykfVXY .

Here are some excerpts from the comments written in the gallery notes.

• I was deeply moved by the many photographs and the words of Ryuichi Sakamoto and the author. It was wonderful to see everyone coming together in one heart and performing with all their might.
• I attended all of the concerts. I felt like I was energized by the wonderful performances of the young members, who had overcome a terrible disaster and brought with them a variety of experiences and thoughts.
• I hope that this concert and the memories of the members will be recorded in book form and that it will be read by many people.
• Every year, I look forward to the Tohoku Youth concert. Last year's Symphony No. 9, which I was really looking forward to, was cancelled due to COVID-19. It's a shame that it was cancelled this year too. I'm impressed by how the level of your performances improves every year. I hope that we can hold a concert next year.
• I was happy to see in the photos what I had heard from the members of the orchestra. As a Tohoku native, I found familiar places in the photos and am grateful that everyone made music there.
• As long as these children are here, I feel that Japan will be fine.

I received such kind words. Thank you very much. Also,

• I heard a beautiful melody coming from the Sanyo-do building. It warmed my heart. It's been 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. I want to continue supporting you all.
• I was moved by the wonderful activities. The performance touched my heart.

As one commenter commented, we also held a surprise concert without any prior notice.
It's called the "Sound Leak Concert."

This concert was planned as a last resort in consideration of the spread of COVID-19.

The first day, March 5th, was the 130th anniversary of Sanyodo Bookstore . Hideko Toyama, the 4th generation owner, offered words of encouragement, saying, "Omotesando and Aoyama, which are now glamorous, were burnt out in the Great Air Raid 76 years ago. At the memorial service held every year, people over 70 years old come and say, 'I came to see my mother and sister today.' Their bodies have not yet been found. For me, the 3/11 earthquake overlaps with the Great Yamanote Air Raid during the Pacific War. I would be happy if everyone plays with that feeling in mind."
The performance on the day was covered by Nippon Television's News Zero.
A new form of live performance: the "Sound Leak Concert" (from "news zero" broadcast on March 5, 2021)

A week later, on March 8th, the same exhibition was held at Yamano Music Sendai store. There was a big sign in front of the store on the lively Chris Road.

This is the same treatment as pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who returned to the Rakuten Golden Eagles this year.

Please place your books in a special corner of the sheet music section.

The exhibition will be held in the event space on the 8th floor.

In Sendai we were also able to hold a concert by advance reservation.

The first rehearsal was for two hours in the morning, as a group of four.

The four of them look sharp just before the performance.

It was a mini concert of just under 30 minutes, but here is the set list.

Another Day of Sun (LaLaLand)
Composed by Justin Hurwitz Arranged by Yuta Tomizawa (former member of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra)

Andante Cantabile
Composed by P. Tchaikovsky

Living with Mother, composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto (representative and director of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra)

Etopirika by Taro Hakase, composed by Hideo Shimazu, arranged by

Starlight Cheers (GReeeeN)
Composed by GReeeeN, Arranged by Hidetoshi Wabi

Encore...Flowers Bloom, composed by Yoko Kanno, arranged by Yuto Nakamura and Hikari Sato (Tohoku Youth Orchestra alumni)

For fourth-year university students Hibino and Murakami, this was their final and memorable performance as members of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra before graduating.

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, our regular concerts were cancelled for the second year in a row, and we all felt frustrated as we marked the 10th anniversary of the disaster, but thanks to the publication of the book, we were able to have an exhibition and concerts in Tokyo and Sendai. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supported and cooperated with us.

We appreciate your continued support for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.