The December joint training session report and crowdfunding will be available until tomorrow, the 28th.

We held a joint practice session in Fukushima City yesterday, Sunday the 26th.
I ignored the news of the cold wave's arrival as if it was someone else's problem.
When you leave Tokyo and go through a tunnel in Tochigi or Fukushima,
The inside of the Shinkansen train suddenly became bright as if fluorescent lights had been turned on,
This car window.

When you get off at Fukushima Station, you will see a snowy landscape with your footprints remaining.

The road to the practice venue, Fukushima Minpo Hall, was covered in so much snow that our feet were buried.

The band members approach in the snow, carrying their instruments.

Dragging a double bass through snowy streets seems particularly challenging.

Snow was observed on the tuba case.

During the morning orientation, Yuko Yamazaki (violin), a member of the volunteer performance team, explained that they want to revive the volunteer performances that were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the concert in March next year. As the performances usually involve traveling to the coastal areas, the "TYO Volunteer Performance Supporters" crowdfunded the expenses such as travel expenses to the site, and the crowdfunding campaign "Please support the activities of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, which connects the memories of 3.11 through music," which has been running since October (until tomorrow, the 28th!) to ask for continued support for the orchestra's activities . It is very encouraging to see the two members, who were junior high school students when they joined the orchestra, now leading the members as university students.

In preparation for the concert in March, we had an ensemble rehearsal under the direction of Toshio Yanagisawa. The main piece for the concert was Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Listening to the Ninth Symphony at this time of year really brings out the end-of-year feeling, making you wonder, "What else do I have to do before the end of the year?"

As the practice was held at the end of the year, we received some sweets from our sponsor, the Morinaga Angel Foundation.

Everyone seems to be in a good mood when they see sweets. I also received two angel pies, which I remember eating at a kindergarten birthday party about half a century ago. Thank you very much.

We were also delighted to receive a bottle of green tea for each person from JA Kyosai, one of our other sponsors (see their special website here ). We would also like to thank Ikemoto-san, who personally sent us a gift despite having left Digital Garage, another sponsor of the event .

In addition, director Ryuichi Sakamoto also sent a gift as a holiday gift.

All members received a notebook with a message card. They picked it up and commented, "It's cool," "It's wonderful," and "It's a shame to use it (lol)." Thank you for your thoughtfulness!

During the lunch break, Toshio Yanagisawa was interviewed by Fukushima Minpo, who is using our rehearsal space. They will be doing a full-page article about us when the tickets for our concert go on sale in February.

When practice resumed in the afternoon, official photographer Ryuichi Maruo appeared at the practice site for the first time in two years.

For the first time in two years, I was able to come and take a group photo of the 7th generation (known as "art photos") and promotional materials (known as "publicity materials") such as flyers to accompany the concert ticket sales.

The first photo is a fake artist photo that I took next to Maruo-san taking the picture. I also took a photo of him wearing a mask.

It's important to anticipate and prepare for all sorts of situations. This is the basic principle of crisis management, and it has become a habit that we've learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The afternoon continued with rehearsals for the Ninth Symphony, and the final hour was spent practicing "Time Has Become a Slope," written by Director Ryuichi Sakamoto specifically for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra. The percussionists' response to the irregular time signatures that characterize the piece improved with each session, and Professor Yanagisawa praised them. Will the third time be a charm and the world premiere in March of next year come true? We can only hope that it will come true.

Now, in preparation for the actual performance, we have begun to confirm the intention of the Ninth Symphony chorus members, as well as the members of the Tsunagaru Choir who raised their hands and have been practicing in anticipation of the March 2020 performance, to participate in the March 2022 performance.

To reiterate, the crowdfunding campaign for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's ongoing activities will run until tomorrow, the 28th. We have prepared a variety of original goods that are not available for sale in the general public as rewards, and we also have a wealth of activity reports for each section. We are happy even if you have just looked at this page. Of course, we would be even happier if you supported us!
https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/506200

We appreciate your continued support for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.