Tohoku Youth Orchestra 2022 Iwate Performance Stage & Backstage Report

This is a report on the Tohoku Youth Orchestra 2022 Iwate performance held at Morioka Civic Cultural Hall on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.

First, we headed to the entrance of the hall just before it opened at 5:45pm.

As announced at 6 p.m. on the 19th , "Announcement of cancellation of Tohoku Youth Orchestra Concert Miyagi and Fukushima performances, and cancellation of representative and director Sakamoto Ryuichi's appearance (Iwate)," we had announced Director Sakamoto's information, but host Watanabe Mari will also be unable to appear due to the suspension of the Tohoku Shinkansen.

The real crowdfunding corner in the lobby is ready. On the left side, holding a cylindrical disaster prevention kit, is Kidoguchi Natsumi, an alumna from Iwate Prefecture. This kind of support from alumni is really nice. After searching, I found an article on the local Kitakami City website titled "To musicians who are close to the community. Making dreams come true with the clarinet." On the right side is Matsukuma Moe from Promax. She is an important leader who has been handling antibody tests and ensuring the safety of members for the last eight days since the last training camp, but today she is the leader who is collecting donations.

To the right of the original goods display is a book sales corner for "Sound, the Sound of Hope - The Future Connected by the Tohoku Youth Orchestra" (Froebel-kan), which I am the author of. The book is sold by Tozando Bookstore , a bookstore that is known to all Iwate residents.

As you can see from the POP I am holding in the commemorative photo taken under Kidoguchi's direction, I ended up being the substitute host. This concert was originally larger than previous concerts in terms of expenses for the 60-member "Tsunagari Choir" from across the country, as well as the COVID-19 countermeasures, and the unexpected costs were incurred due to the Tohoku Shinkansen being unavailable due to the earthquake. Considering the cost of coordinating with local and neighboring announcers due to the suddenness of the situation, it was our intention to have a staff member act as a substitute, as it would be cheaper and the members would be able to perform in a relaxed atmosphere.

Returning to the wings, Captain Tajima Shiori and local violinist Kanasugi Kano were waiting together as the "shadow announcer squad."

They are a first-year graduate student from Sendai and a sixth-grader from Morioka, but they seem like best friends from the same class, which is typical of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

Next, the performers for the pre-concert, which was to begin immediately after the doors opened, began to gather.

Until now, the "Lobby Concert" (commonly known as "Robicon") has been held in the lobby outside the hall, but this year it will be a pre-concert performed on stage in order to prevent the spread of infection.

Everyone looked relaxed and in good spirits. I was teased, "Tanaka-san doesn't seem nervous," but this time, due to the earthquake, the first day of the camp was a travel day, and although we crammed in practice, we didn't go through the Ninth even once, and it was an emergency situation that we had to go through before the actual performance. There was limited time for the dress rehearsal on the day, so I was worried that we couldn't check the overall movement, including the music, including the MC. However, I thought it would be okay because there wasn't much to talk about.

The members are reading the instructions before the performance.

The pre-concert began with a viola septet.

・Viola Septet Largo from Concerto for Four Violins/Telemann (all viola parts)

The photo of the stage cut and the commemorative photo with Non-san that I will introduce later is by Yu Miyagawa, a junior colleague at the Tokyo office, who also does economical in-house production. I have been working with him since the beginning of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival ARKNOVA Matsushima in 2013.

Meanwhile, in the wings on the left side of the stage,

Kanasugi-san was practicing hard as a shadow announcer. Not wanting to be outdone, I started reading the script while walking out loud, but I found that "Symphony" was easy to sing, and the members of the "Tsunagari Choir" encouraged me, saying "Please do your best." Thank you very much. During the performance, I was able to sing it smoothly.

On the whiteboard backstage where members communicated, there was a message board with messages from members, which was also requested at short notice by Fukushima Minpo Newspaper because they were unable to create advertising materials for post-performance publicity due to the cancellation of the Fukushima performance. In front of that was standing viola Suzuki Shoko (a native of Fukushima Prefecture), who had just finished playing a pre-concert piece.
I asked him what he had written.

When I asked, "I have a strong image of Kaiko Takeshi in the phrase 'Drift but never sink,' but does it have an original source?", he told me, "It's a motto for the city of Paris from the 16th century. It's in Latin." I found this article .

Never give up, even in the face of difficulties. Isn't this the spirit of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra? There are many things I can learn from the members of the orchestra.

Shoko, who will be graduating from the orchestra this term, told us, "Just before our recent performance, the supporting viola player tuned all seven of our violas, saying, 'I'll apply some magic pine resin to you.'"
Here we introduce the professional supporting musicians for the Iwate and Tokyo concerts. At the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's regular concerts, we always ask for the help of professionals for parts that are not covered by our own members.
There are three viola players, Mariko Takei, Shoichi Isayama, and Atsushi Nagaishi. The bassoon is Saori Yoshida. The horn is Ikue Saga. There are five of us in total. Thanks to you all, not only has the sound become richer, but being able to perform together has also helped the members in the same section grow. Thank you very much.

Next, the pre-concert.

Woodwind Quintet Spirited Away/Joe Hisaishi (Yui Kanno, Satoshi Sekine, Shiori Tajima, Yuka Igarashi, Yuki Nakayama)

String Quintet Star Wars/John Williams (Masahiro Watanabe, Ritsu Ishikawa, Takashi Chiba, Reika Ashina, Yuri Tanno)

・Flute Quintet Concerto for 5 Flutes / Composed by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier Arranged by Makoto Ogata (Amane Abe, Rina Iwabuchi, Yui Kanno, Anna Sato, Nanami Noguchi)

・String Quartet Aqua/Ryuichi Sakamoto (Yayoi Ashina, Yoshiko Izawa, Ayaka Kikuchi, Kenmaru Honda)

And then it's time for the "Shadow Announcer Squad." The "Shadow Announcer Squad" is a pre-show performance that began with the first regular concert in March 2016. The members of the ensemble talk on stage about the various precautions that would normally be read in the wings before the concert begins, so that the audience can get to know what kind of members will be playing. For the Tokyo performance, we have a good balance between elementary school, junior high school, high school, and university students, those from three prefectures, men and women, and those who play instruments, but this time, we had everyone except for captain Shiori Tajima who is from the local Iwate prefecture.

From the right are Captain Tajima, Kanasugi who was introduced earlier, trumpeter Endo Hiroto, a member from the first term who is graduating this term, violinist Taguchi Yota, a second-year junior high school student, and Iwabuchi Rina, a fourth-term member who switched from violin to flute and is a first-year high school student.

Next, we had a pre-concert performance, which was also the first since the first regular concert. It was a performance of a fanfare composed by Hidezumi Tomo, a member of the orchestra from Fukushima City. It started with a trumpet duet, and gradually more instruments were added, and the septet piece that was originally supposed to be performed two years ago finally saw the light of day.

■ Fanfare performance
Trp.Yuto Nakamura Shogo Tomizawa
Hr. Natsuki Senda and Shiori Tajima
Trb. Aoi Nishino
Tub. Yuuma Higashidate

The composer came to the wings of the stage to listen to the performance.

Just before the performance, all the members gathered together.

At this exact moment, a remote message came from Director Sakamoto.
"Toi toi toi to everyone!!!"
Judging from the pronunciation, I thought it was probably not the French "Towa Towa Towa", so I told the assembled orchestra members, and some of them knew it. When I asked Mr. Aihara of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, who was the stage manager for this event, he immediately replied, "It's a magic spell before the show." It was German. Here is the explanation page from the German Embassy.

Then, conductor Toshio Yanagisawa made a dashing appearance.

The substitute host's excitement also rises as he senses the excitement of the audience. The performance begins at 6:30 p.m.

As Aihara-san opened the door, his first words were, "Good evening, everyone."
Huh?
You can hear his breathing "snorting, sniffling" coming from the monitor speakers.
a!
Oh no, I ended up going on stage with my mask on.
Not wanting to let the audience hear his Darth Vader-like breathing sounds and fill the hall with dark force, he panicked and took off his mask with his right hand, which was holding the microphone, but thinking that it was unsightly to have the mask dangling from his left ear, he started to remove it while he was speaking his lines, but this time it got caught on his glasses and shook and slipped off, a huge disgrace. During this time, he said, "I will be taking over as a substitute at short notice. I expect the performance will be poor, but please bear with me," so it was a comedy skit. The members of the troupe who were watching the scene up close seemed to find it amusing.

This is a return to the original plan.
For this concert, the sound engineer Kenichiro Kondo , who has known Director Sakamoto for many years, was on staff and made adjustments before the performance, saying, "I'll check the microphone without a mask." Another member of the Sakamoto team, the recording engineer Seigen Ono, said with a smile after the performance, "I thought there was a strange sound at first."
This is a production site that is supported by world-class, first-class staff.

In any case, Director Sakamoto played a heartfelt and special video message from the stage to the audience at the Iwate performance, and then the world premiere of Director Sakamoto's work "Time is Tilt" for Tohoku Youth Orchestra, which was the first in two years, finally began.

By the second day of the camp, when they were able to practice as an ensemble, the performance was completely different. This is the traditional art of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, and their ability to somehow make it in time at the last minute (whether that's a good thing or not is a different matter).

There is no doubt that "Time is Tilt Now" will continue to be one of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's specialties.

The guest for the Iwate performance was actress and creative artist Non .

This was my second time on stage with Non, and for our conversation, we had no rehearsal whatsoever beforehand other than to talk about two things: our performance together in Morioka three years ago, and Non's first film as a director, "Ribbon," which is currently in theaters. Thanks to that, I was able to stay calm and listen carefully to what she had to say.
Non's recitation of six poems to the accompaniment of Director Sakamoto's compositions "Living with Mother" and "Still Life" was the best in the actual performance. As someone who acted as a substitute during rehearsals during the training camp at the request of conductor Yanagisawa, the timing of the first three poems was so perfect that it gave me goosebumps.

During the break before the concert's main piece, the Ninth Symphony, a sixth-grade boy had a nosebleed. This was nothing compared to the incident he had had at a training camp just before the concert, when he collapsed from anemia, cut his forehead on a cymbal, and bled, requiring an ambulance to be called.
On the day of the performance, some university students forgot their costumes and had to rush to get to their accommodations in time. In the past, some brave people came onto the stage in slippers and then hurriedly changed into black leather shoes before going on stage.
One university student forgot to bring his sheet music with him when the second act began, so he hurried back to the dressing room to get it, and arrived at the designated spot late.
I was just glad I didn't forget my instrument when I entered!

Now, the Ninth Symphony. Director Sakamoto proposed to perform the 9th Symphony with the "Tsunagari Chorus," which was made up of people from Hokkaido, Iwate, Miyagi, Okayama, Ehime, Fukuoka, Oita, and Kumamoto, areas that have suffered devastating damage from natural disasters since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Among the Tsunagaru Choir is Saki Torii (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, front row center), a former viola player who was a member of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's first class, who participates in the choir with her mother.

On the right is her mother, Masako. (This photo was taken by Hirako, who is in charge of the chorus at the secretariat, during the trip from Fukushima to Tokyo on the 25th.)

Performed alongside a choir of people from all over the country.
This was an unthinkable scene at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Music consisting of "Sound of Hope" and "Ode to Joy" filled the hall in Morioka.

The Tohoku Youth Orchestra, which excels in live performances, demonstrated its strengths once again this year. Mr. Yanagisawa, the conductor, brought out that strength!

I was relieved of my duties during the first act, so I was able to enjoy the show from my seat in the audience, and it felt like a dream. During the curtain call, my vision gradually blurred.

We hurried backstage, where four of Japan's top soloists welcomed us with thunderous applause. To introduce them once again, they were soprano Hiroko Koda, alto Makiko Yamashita, tenor Tatsuya Higuchi, and baritone Hiroyuki Narita.
"It was amazing," "It was hard to believe that this was a youth orchestra," "It was on a level comparable to that of professionals."
I was grateful to receive such kind words.

I would also like to thank Non-san, who was there to greet me backstage.
"I was drawn in by her clear voice," "It was a wonderful reading," "I'll continue to support you," and many other warm compliments. The best know the best, don't you think?

Before I knew it, the countdown to the start had hit zero hours and it was time to pack up, and a message appeared saying, "Bus leaves at 9pm!"

This is the Tsunagaru Choir right after their performance. They are overflowing with a sense of accomplishment.

The work of choir director Yoshinori Kiba, who traveled all over the country to put it all together, was completed today. Thank you very much.

In front of the dressing room, Non was intently reading a message of gratitude from the other members of the troupe.

We also took a photo with the maestro, who improved the quality of the performance with two days of cramming lessons just before the show.

Kazuaki Fujita, a reporter in the Iwate Nippo Culture Department, has conducted thorough interviews with the members of the group, who are from Iwate Prefecture.

Reporter Fujita, who has probably covered the Ninth Symphony many times, said, "It was truly wonderful." TYO is strong in the real world!
The article from the next day is here . I asked my junior colleague Miyagawa-kun, "How was the hosting?" and he replied, "I'm glad it wasn't just flattery." I'm glad!

And backstage, while the equipment was being removed, Kidoguchi, who is in charge of real crowdfunding, was taking care of the important closing task of the day.

Even seeing this makes me cry! Thank you, Kidoguchi-san, and do your best as a professional performer!

And the two super supporters who have been the cheerful and energetic organizers of this Tsunagaru Choir were sitting next to each other after sending everyone off.

Hirako Eiko on the right is usually the administrative staff of the Siena Wind Orchestra , but since the Ninth performance in March 2020 was decided, she has been helping out. Suga Masako on the left has been in charge of updating announcements on the web and creating a travel guide for the orchestra members as the Tokyo administrative staff, and this time she is in charge of the "Connecting Choirs." When you see the two of them talking at their desks in the wings of the stage, there is constant laughter, and they have a very similar atmosphere. (In my mind, I've named the female comedy duo "Umihara Eiko Masako," following in the footsteps of "Promax Candies.")

In any case, the Iwate performance was a success thanks to the visible and invisible strength of the audience, the troupe members and the performers. Thank you very much.

It is with hearts full of gratitude that we hope that today, on the 26th (Sat), our Tokyo performance will fill the long-awaited Suntory Hall with sounds of hope and songs of joy.