This is a report from the last day of the Morioka pre-camp. Today was "Connecting ○○". With Non-san. With the Connecting Choir.

The hint for the question at the beginning, "What is the photo of the members raising their hands?" is,
Not a "connected choir"
"Connecting ○○".
The answer will be revealed later.

Today's Iwate Nippo newspaper.

The focus is on the part below the title on the front page.

In the same lineup as Shohei Otani, the superstar of the century born in Iwate Prefecture,
I was introduced to it.

This article with photos is on the social page.

It's truly "We want to deliver the sound of joy now!"

From the morning orientation.

This was a gift from Yuta, the eldest of the three Tomizawa brothers who lead the alumni association.

In addition to disposable heating pads of both stick-on and non-sticky types, the box contains a mysterious assortment of 10 packets of stick-type powdered laundry soap.
Perhaps this is a message to his second son, Takumi, and third son, Shogo, who are currently participating in a training camp, telling them to do their own laundry.

There was also this letter attached.

Checking today's schedule backstage are Yanagisawa-san, Captain Tajima, and the three members of Promax, Okada-san, Isozaki-san, and Matsukuma-san (I call them the "Promax Candies" in my heart).

Next, Yanagisawa takes over the horn section.

The proposal seems to be to arrange the seats horizontally to prevent the sound from jumping around too much due to the slanted soundboard.

This is the layout after the changes.
On the far left is Saga Ikue, a supporting performer who will be joining us from today.

Now, let's start practicing.
I tried taking pictures from various angles.

During the break, I photographed today's "person wearing bold clothing." This is oboe player Satoshi Sekine (3rd year university student) from Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture.

The front isn't so much.

"Good bye" printed on the back of a flashy photo.

This is also part of a series called "People who practice without stopping even during break time."

Now, we will soon reveal the answer to the question in the photo at the beginning.

Please pay attention to the monitor placed behind the podium.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was unable to attend the final training camp and Iwate performance due to poor health, but he connected with us via Zoom and gave a live message to the members of the troupe.

He offered words of encouragement to the members affected by last week's earthquake, announced that he would be teaching remotely today, and spoke of his eagerness to perform in the Tokyo concert.
Today, we were able to carry out a full day of "connected instruction" remotely.
Thank you, Director Sakamoto!

And then it's time for a lunch break.

In the afternoon, Non came to rehearse for tomorrow's reading.

In this first greeting in three years, we presented them with a copy of the book , "Resound, the Sound of Hope: The Future Connected by the Tohoku Youth Orchestra" (Froebel-kan) , which chronicles the history of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

They began rehearsing a performance of six poems to be performed with an arrangement centered around string instruments, along with director Sakamoto's films "Living with My Mother" and "Still Life."

As someone who served as a substitute reader yesterday, I was amazed at Non's professionalism in reading the first three pieces, which fit perfectly with the music of "Living with My Mother."

After the rehearsal, Captain Shiori Tajima kindly agreed to take a commemorative photo with us. Thank you very much!

I can't wait for tomorrow's performance!

After that, in preparation for the world premiere of "Time is Tilting," I was able to receive direct "connected guidance" from Director Sakamoto, who gave me remote direction. Thank you very much.

The countdown to the performance on the whiteboard has finally turned into numbers.

For some reason, it says "29 hours left" in a digital-like format.

Yanagisawa Toshio hurriedly went to direct the choir that was being held at a different venue.

Using this time between the opening of the doors and the start of the performance, a lobby concert recital for the band members was held, organized by volunteer members, for both the Iwate and Tokyo performances.
I will summarize the situation and upload it.

Following this, before the show began, the Tohoku Youth Orchestra held their customary practice for the "shadow announcer team," who perform on stage the "shadow announcer" role, which is normally performed in the background.

Next, as has become a regular occurrence, a fanfare composed by fellow orchestra member, Tono Eijun, was performed.

This time it is a piece for a septet.

The composer also gave the OK.

I spotted Toh Eijun standing in line for dinner.

A smile of satisfaction!

All the performers were finally gathered together for the evening practice.

We were finally able to practice singing together with the choir.

Same-day tickets will also be available for tomorrow's Iwate performance on the 22nd (Tuesday).

I would be delighted if you could experience the music that combines "Sound of Hope" and "Ode to Joy" in a real way.

We look forward to seeing you there!