First day of the final training camp!
The pre-concert training camp has finally begun!

It all starts the day before with loading the instruments.

Volunteer members of the orchestra living in Fukushima will load the instruments that are stored at the Fukushima Minpo Hall onto a truck.

On the day of the training camp, people will gather from all over the country in Iwate Prefecture, where the camp will be held.
However, it appeared again this year.

I'm late.

When I called a member of the Tokyo group who had not shown up at the meeting time, he replied, "I just woke up."

...There was no other option, so we decided to have him come to the training camp venue in Iwate on his own.

By the way, a certain member who had a similar incident of oversleeping and being extremely late last year was apparently the first to arrive at the meeting point this year. What a growth!

(※ Click here for last year's training camp report)

↓Tokyo gathering.

↓The group that gathered early to help with the delivery.

We're really excited...! Everyone who brought us in is wearing matching outfits!

An original T-shirt designed by Shu Maruyama, combining Mahler and Merlion.

Apparently the illustration was drawn on an iPad. The details are amazing...

↓Fukushima gathering.

Heavy snow fell between Fukushima and Miyagi, as if we had gone back to winter.

↓ Group gathered in Miyagi.

As the bus approached the venue, a peaceful rural landscape came into view.

The venue for the final training camp is called "Denen Hall" and is located in Yahaba Town, Shiwa District, south of Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture.

The members gathered and had an orientation session starting at 1pm.

As the long 9-day, 8-night tour began, the secretariat provided information about things to be aware of and introduced the staff.

And then he added, "Please be sure to arrive on time!"

Captain Ayaka Kikuchi spoke about the rules she wanted the players to follow.

(Keep the dressing room clean, don't forget anything, write your name on the music...)

All members, please cooperate!

After the orientation, practice began in the hall.
For the final push, we will practice hard, focusing on Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

There are lots of nice treats during the break!

We received some sweets from the Morinaga Angel Foundation. Thank you very much.

Eat a lot and recover your energy!

We also received gifts from members and parents who were unable to attend the performance.

thank you!

A letter and sweets from Noguchi, a flute member.

Sweets provided by the mother of violinist Miura and percussionist Todo's mother.

Beautiful strawberries from Miura Mizuho's family! They are so sweet and juicy.

In the evening, we practiced the music composed by Director Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the practice ended at 18:30. After that, we had dinner.

Some members use their breaks to practice Robicon and fanfares.

↓These are the members of Fanfare.

Instead of the usual brass arrangement, it features violin, double bass, clarinet, horn, and percussion.

The fanfare was composed by Hidezumi Tomo, a member of the orchestra, using a somewhat unusual approach: "We recruited people who wanted to compose fanfares and composed the piece to suit their instrument arrangement."

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of performance it will be.

After dinner it's time for recreation.

Although the training camp will continue with intensive practice, we decided to use this opportunity to plan a program to deepen the friendship between the members...! So, the two members of the recreation team organized the event.

First, we split into small groups and sat in the audience...

A brief self-introduction time for each group.

After the ice-breaking session, we move on to a "gesture message game."

First, the recreation staff announced the theme.

The first theme was "pigeons."

Each group lines up and uses gestures to represent a "dove" to convey their message.

When the last person in the group has received the answer, they give the person in charge of recreation a "O" sign and check the answer.

By the way, not a single group got the first answer "pigeon" right.

Next, the second topic is...

Each member expressed their own version of "Yanagisawa-san" through gestures.

There are many people pointing at the podium and conducting.

Perhaps the message was easy to understand, as all groups except for one got the answer right.

(The wrong group answered "TikToker.")

Just as we were about to end the game, Miyagawa-san from the secretariat, who had been watching the gesturing from afar, made an enthusiastic request.

The gestures of "Yanagisawa-san" played by Barajima-kun in the tuba section are so characteristic that they are wonderful and I would love to see him perform them on stage!

Ibajima, who has a strong service spirit, reproduced it exactly as it was.

Applause!!!
I'm sure the message gesture game helped deepen the bonds between the members!

Finally, before the performance began, a mini concert was announced to the group.

Due to time constraints, we only had three groups on the first day.

↓"Onka no Yukai na Nakamatachi" formed by members of Fukushima University ♪ Jonetsu Tairiku

↓A strangely named group of five, "Wakame"♪Pirates of the Caribbean

↓"I'm going to push it from here, so please bear with me today!" he said as he started the "Clarinet Ensemble"♪Crusell: Clarint Duo No.2

There will be a mini concert on stage between the time the doors open and the start of the show.

The performing groups will change depending on the performance in each city.

For everyone coming to the performance, we would like to ask you to please arrive at the venue a little early so that you can enjoy the mini concert.

This concludes the first day.

The bus left the hall at 9 p.m. and headed to Ogaar Inn, the accommodation we use every year during our Iwate performances.

To all members, this is a long event, so please make sure to get plenty of rest at night (we really need you to)!