TYO 6th Term Remote Graduation Ceremony

On March 28th, the graduation ceremony for this term was held remotely.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, this year's graduation ceremony was held via ZOOM, just like last year's.

In this report, I would like to give you an account of the graduation ceremony, following the program.

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Tohoku Youth Orchestra 6th Graduation Ceremony

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1. Opening speech

Hirokazu Tanaka, Secretary General of TYO Tokyo, served as emcee for the graduation ceremony.

2. Introduction of the 6th graduating members

There was an introduction of the members who were graduating from university and would be graduating from the club.

Vn. Hibino Ai
Vn. Reo Murakami
Vn. Keigo Yoshida
Va. Akira Muraoka
Cb. Katsuta Rin
Cb. Nishimaru So
Cb. Karin Hashimoto
Cb. Haruka Watanabe
Fl. Momoka Kanno
Fl. Takahashi Kazumi
Fl. Nami Endo
Ob: Fumiei Suga
Cl. Hiromasa Adachi
Cl. Kurosu Natsuki
Tb. Ryuyo Otani

15 of us will be graduating.

At first, only graduating members will participate with their cameras on.

3. Representative Director Masato Oshiki’s speech at the ceremony

We received a speech from Masato Oshiki, President and CEO of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra General Incorporated Association.

"First of all, I would like to thank the 88 members of the 6th Tohoku Youth Orchestra for their hard work over the past year.
This season, we have only had one joint practice in October and have been unable to even practice.
This year has reminded us not only of the dangers of natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, but also of the threat of global infectious diseases.
The members of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra are committed to the following:
I believe that they have gathered together with high aspirations and hopes to invigorate Japan with their performances, sharing their role in keeping the Great East Japan Earthquake in memory forever in Japan and the world and in ensuring that it is not forgotten, and in sharing with the goal of enabling the next generation, who will lead the future, to demonstrate their creativity through music and spread it to the world.
It was heartbreaking to think how they must have felt over the past year not being able to perform live.

After the joint practice in October, when deciding whether to continue the practice in November or cancel it,
I conducted a survey, and I also read all of the comments.
Some members and parents said they should continue practicing at this time.
There is the fear of infection and, above all, the risk of causing the spread of infection.
There were many voices expressing their concerns that if a cluster were to occur, it would damage the reputation of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, as well as other thoughts.
After much deliberation with the office, we finally decided to cancel practice.
Looking back now, I believe that was the right decision.
Thanks to the deep understanding of the members and parents,
I think I made the right decision. Thank you very much.
We would like to thank you for the warm and encouraging words you provided to the secretariat in the survey.

Under these circumstances, I was worried that the 6th generation would end up without any memorable activities,
Lastly, I am relieved that we were able to record "Longing from afar" online under the direction of Mr. Yanagisawa as a commemorative performance for the 6th term, a piece composed by Mr. Fujikura Dai, who has been our direct instructor until now, for a remote ensemble.
I also had the opportunity to watch the submissions and thought they were very impressive and well-made videos, with each and every one of you demonstrating your individuality and ideas.

We are proud to have been able to complete and broadcast this new form of online ensemble.
Let's continue to work hard in the future.

Well, to the 15 members who will be graduating today,
Congratulations on your graduation.
Thank you for your hard work over the years.
I will be leaving the Tohoku Youth activities,
I hope that they will continue to play instruments in whatever form in the future, never forgetting the wonderfulness of music that they felt through this activity, and the meaning and importance of connecting with people.
We look forward to your continued success.

I have also heard that several members are taking time off due to their studies.
Once you have completed this phase, we hope you will return to activities with the orchestra.
looking forward to it.

For those of you who will continue into the 7th term, practice will resume soon,
Let's keep working hard and believe that we will be able to hold the concert this year.
The Tohoku Youth Orchestra is characterized by a wide range of age groups, from fourth graders to graduate students, who can interact and learn from each other.
We hope to create a "sound of hope" that will symbolize the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The Children's Music Revitalization Fund, which was the catalyst for the establishment of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, also began its activities in the same year, so it has also been 10 years since then.
This year, we have the following directors: Iwate Nippo, Kahoku Shimpo, and Fukushima Minpo.
We would like to thank each company for publicizing their activities through the media again this year.

In addition, the publisher Froebel has published "Resound! The Sound of Hope," written by Secretary General Tanaka.
I think being able to compile our activities to date in book form has become a great memento for all the members and those involved.
Thank you very much.

Ryuichi Sakamoto and Toshio Yanagisawa have been working on reconstruction support for a long time.
To the secretariat, all the people involved, and the sponsors who have supported our activities up until now,
We believe that we have been able to continue this far thanks to the support of many people, including the parents who supported the band members behind the scenes and the members who have graduated. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to them all.
At today's graduation ceremony, I hope that we can all look back on our activities and deepen our friendships.
Thank you very much for your hard work over the past year. We look forward to seeing the 15 graduating members achieve even greater success."

4. Congratulatory speech (Conductor: Toshio Yanagisawa)

"Hello everyone.
But it's lonely.
It's been quite some time since I was talking to various members during a break in rehearsal.
At that time, I didn't think that we would no longer be able to play together this season.
So, I was suddenly told that everyone was graduating, which made me feel really sad, and I'm wondering what to do.

I've been thinking about what to say to congratulate him, but I can't think of anything.
I don't know what to say...
This isn't a congratulatory message, but something I just want to say...

My child will be in his third year of junior high school next year, but there will be no sports day, cultural festival, summer swimming trip, or school trip.
Now in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been no notice of cancellation from the school.
I'm sure it's difficult for adults too, but it must be really tough for students.

The world is being told to exercise self-restraint.
Self-restraint is important, but I don't think the feeling of "holding back" - including for myself - is good.
Tohoku Youth also "endured" for a year.
Everyone is enduring many things, and no one knows when they'll be able to do it.
Even if you "endure" for a year or two, it won't extend the length of your life.

I thought this was not good and thought it would be better to do whatever I could.
We can't choose what era we're born into, but since I was born into this era,
I think there's no choice but to find a way to spend my time that I'm satisfied with.

I'm also thinking about taking remote lessons in English and French, something I've always wanted to do but haven't been able to do.
I've been taking lessons from composers and trying to figure out parts of songs that I haven't been able to reach before, and I spend my days doing things like that.
I think it would be better for everyone not to think of "self-restraint" as the same as "patience," but to find things they can do safely and continue to make progress in life.

Graduation ceremonies are a formality,
But we also hope that the graduates will do something together someday.
I don't know if it will be a concert, but if we continue to play music, we will do something together.
Let's definitely do it, whether it's at Tohoku Youth or not.
It doesn't have to be a concert.
Even if someone quits playing an instrument, it's their life, so I think it can't be helped.
Even if it's not musical or an instrumental piece, if there's an opportunity to collaborate, I'd love to do it.
There aren't many people in our lives who share the same time as us.
Don't you think it's pretty amazing that we both have the same memories?
In that sense, I hope we can do something together in the future.
I'm looking forward to that day coming.

The rest are those who graduate and get a job,
This was the case for me as well, but I think some people can become stubborn when they are young.
If you are too stubborn, it will be quite difficult later, so be flexible and accept it.
I think it would be good if I could show my own strengths as well.
I was quite stubborn and made a lot of mistakes.

I think today is the day of graduation,
Anyway, take care of yourself and do your best.
Let's meet somewhere, really.
This may not be a congratulatory message, but this is what I really want to say."

5. Farewell speech (6th term captain: Shiori Tajima)

"Congratulations to all the graduating students.
This term too, due to the impact of the infectious disease, we were unable to carry out our activities to our satisfaction, and I believe that we all graduated without having fully achieved our full potential.
I am also very disappointed that I will not be able to perform with the members of the orchestra who are graduating from university in the same year.

This season has been a year of uncertainty about when practice would begin and whether we would be able to perform, but we were able to perform in a new way: remotely.
Although we were unable to perform on stage, I believe that the fact that we were able to perform in this way will be a memorable experience for us.

I can always vividly recall scenes of him giving instruction to his juniors on how to play during practice, helping them with their homework during training camps, playing in ensembles with his friends to relax, and sometimes just letting loose.
It was very impressive to see him paving the way as a "senior that everyone can rely on," and seeing that made me want to work hard myself.

Since we were unable to hold a concert in the hall for two years in a row, we would be happy if you could come and perform with us again.
Finally, all members of the club wish all graduating students the best of luck."

6. Reply speech (1st batch student: Karin Hashimoto)

"The harsh cold of winter has eased and we can feel the signs of spring in the air.
We, the graduating members, would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at the secretariat, the many members, Director Oshiki, and Ms. Yanagisawa for holding such a graduation ceremony today in their presence. We would also like to express our gratitude to Captain Shiori Tajima for her farewell speech.

In the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, which has members of various grades from elementary school students to university students, the children who were elementary school students when I joined are now high school students, and before I knew it, they were often taller than me, and in terms of performance technique, children who were off-duty were now playing solos, so although the six years seemed short, it felt like a very long period. Also, the members of the same double bass section kindly taught me, saying, "This is easier to play," and the members of other sections also helped me when I had trouble understanding the rhythm, and I was able to meet really good friends.
Also, there are many memories from the summer training camp in Hokkaido during a typhoon, Okinawa where we practiced in the heat, Nagano where Yanagisawa-san is from, and Yamanashi where Director Sakamoto invited us to watch a secret concert, and I was able to experience many things with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra that I would not have been able to experience if I had not joined. Also, there are countless memories from the last training camp where we practiced from early in the morning until late at night, the Tokyo concert where we performed with many guests, regional concerts, and other concerts.

This year's concert has been canceled due to the coronavirus, and I am very sorry that I cannot meet you all in person. This is especially disappointing since this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which was the catalyst for the formation of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.
However, I think it was very meaningful that we were able to perform Dai Fujikura's "Longing from Afar" remotely and stream it on March 11th, and it was interesting and fun to see some of the members playing everyday items that we don't normally use as instruments. It made me realize once again that one idea can overcome anything.

Thank you very much to all the members who have supported us until now. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to meet you all. Even if you don't want to graduate, the time will come. Please make every practice count so that you have no regrets. And although it may be difficult now, please try to participate in a volunteer concert at least once and try some delicious local food.
We hope that we will be able to hold a concert next year and perform directly to our audiences.
At that time, please let us help you.

Lastly, on behalf of the graduating members, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the people involved, including Representative Director Oshiki, who supported us, the alumni, conductor Toshio Yanagisawa, the staff of the secretariat, and Director Ryuichi Sakamoto. Thank you very much.
We, the graduating members, are now moving on to a new world. Although we are filled with anxiety about entering the workforce, a world we have never experienced before, we will forge ahead, using what we learned in the Tohoku Youth Orchestra: "Even if we have differences in age, way of thinking, and experience, we can all achieve something toward a common goal," "Adversity is an opportunity to turn things around," and "It's a once-in-a-lifetime encounter."
I would like to conclude my reply by offering my heartfelt hope that the Tohoku Youth Orchestra will continue to flourish.

March 28, 2021 Karin Hashimoto”

7. Closing remarks

Finally, everyone watched the video of "Longing from afar," which was performed to commemorate the 6th term.

*Tohoku Youth Orchestra performance: "Dai Fujikura: Longing from afar"

https://youtu.be/Y4VRLcnGeic

The song played at the graduation ceremony was a special version that was not released to the public.

It included messages from conductor Yanagisawa, composer Fujikura Dai, and director Sakamoto.

The ceremony then concluded with closing remarks from Secretary General Hirokazu Tanaka.

After the remote graduation ceremony, we then held a social gathering.

From this point on, all members will turn on their videos and participate.

And this year too, the remote social gathering ended with a five-note closing chant via screen.

The sixth period of activities has ended.

The Tohoku Youth Orchestra will continue its activities for the seventh period, while considering what can be done safely under the current circumstances.