[ Ryuichi Sakamoto MemorialConcert 2024] Sendai has finished, and the concert will be in Koriyama on the 30th (Sat)!

Mornings in Morioka are early.
I had a mission to travel by taxi from a hotel in the city to the " La France Onsenkan " in Shiwa-cho, Shiwa-gun, where the members of the group were staying, and meet them there. When I heard the name of the accommodation, I couldn't shake my suspicions about the dissonance between the two words "La France" and "onsen," but it actually happened.

Another facility with a unique name is "Yuraura" (the characters are huge!). Alumnus Yuto Nakamura (a trumpet player, now an elementary school teacher, originally from Sendai) shared with us the view from this facility at around 6am.

The sunrise over the spectacular sea of clouds. I wish I had gotten up earlier to see it! (I probably couldn't)

Now, as a bus tour guide,

We got on to bus No. 3 and departed at 7:30. I slept for 2 hours like I did on a sleeper bus. And here we are, at today's venue. I got off the bus still half asleep and was about to enter the venue when I noticed a member of the group taking a photo in front of me.

The person was Shiori Sasaki (Viola, currently working as a researcher at a chemical manufacturer, from Sendai), who is reverently referred to as a "heavy drinker" by alumni. I believe she must be drinking as a human experiment on alcohol decomposition.

At Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi (Miyagi Prefectural Civic Center), two visitors were waiting for the maestro even before his scheduled arrival.

The third concert mistress, Chiba Hazuki (maiden name, from Sendai), brought along her four-month-old baby, Hiroha. I wonder how many people have held this hero in their arms.

However, the stability of the baby's embrace by the former student Mimu Sato (violinist) was number one. She is now a nursery school teacher.

Taking advantage of the dress rehearsal, I didn't say, "Go for it, baby," but I did have him make his on-stage debut.

Apparently a cello has already been bought for his grandson. I wonder if there will be a "Tohoku Youth Orchestra Junior" in the future, or if he will join the "Tohoku Youth Orchestra".

Hazuki's mother was kind enough to bring us some snacks.

Yes, we have already introduced Yanagisawa, who is being handicrafted by violinist Komai from Morioka, but it turns out that the person to his left is Takeda Manabu from the Fukushima handicraft office (who provided instruction on the first day of the final training camp).

Asuka Yoshida, an alumnus, also came to the event with a gift. This article is starting to seem like a "Hiyoko Club" article, so I'll correct it here. Today is the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's Miyagi concert.

The dress rehearsal is progressing smoothly and has now finished, and all that's left is to wait for the audience to arrive.

Here in the wings of the stage,

Risako Watanabe, the clarinetist, was given individual instruction by Iijima Izumi of the Siena Wind Orchestra . What a luxury! Good luck in the performance!

Meanwhile, in the lobby,

We are preparing to sell TYO original products. Saito Reiri (cello, from Morioka), a third-term member, came to help us out because he wanted to return to the orchestra after entering university and has grown bigger. I'm happy and encouraged. The on-demand version of my book , "Resound, the Sound of Hope: The Future Connected from the Tohoku Youth Orchestra" (Froebel-kan), is also available. Although the first edition sold out, the publisher has decided not to reprint it. If it were to be reprinted in large quantities, it would become the orchestra's operating expenses, so I am looking forward to that happening. I wonder if it will be made into a movie on Netflix or something...

There are only a few stylish and compact disaster prevention sets with the TYO logo left, so please be sure to grab one for your next performance in Koriyama or Tokyo!

This is the sales booth for the CD "The Best of Tohoku Youth Orchestra 2013-2023" by Tohoku Youth Orchestra and Ryuichi Sakamoto, which was just released on the 20th. As a special gift for purchasing at the venue, you will receive an A4-sized clear file with an original design. Please take this opportunity to purchase one.

As the show was about to begin, the usual shadow announcers gathered in the wings of the stage at TYO's regular concerts. This was part of the production, with the members taking their positions in front of the stage to boldly make announcements such as warning people to be careful and asking for their cooperation, which are usually made in the wings.

Well, today there are 3 guys and 2 girls, which means it's TYO's TRF!

This is the percussionists.

Hmm, 4 girls and 2 guys, hmm, TYO's mixed volleyball team (let's just say that)!

Both of them are from Sendai.

This is Keiko and Minami from TYO! (They look like a female comedy duo that was popular in the Showa era, but that's just how they are.)

Nakamura, who took the sunrise photo, is from Sendai and was using a selfie stick.

Students, Mr. Nakamura is doing well.

The performance was about to begin, and the brass band members had already started tuning up.

The performance has begun, and here is a scene from the first song being played.

The performance progressed steadily, with the momentum reaching their personal best, surpassing yesterday's Morioka performance.

Around that time, MC Watanabe Mari asked the three, who were off guard backstage, to help out when she made an announcement about the merchandise that would be on sale in the lobby before the break.

There is some overlap with the "Niwaka TYO something" group in Morioka yesterday, but MISAMO from TYO! Please organize 6 more female members and come forward to form "TYO's TWICE" at the Koriyama or Tokyo performances.

After the break, the second half began. As I was taking some test shots in the dark wings of the stage on the left side of the stage, the trumpeters, the elder sister and younger brother of the Wagatsuma family, came into view.

Hikari Mitsushima and Shinnosuke Mitsushima from TYO! That's it.

Before you know it, they'll be doing an encore.

"ETUDE" was the theme song for the live concert held every August in Miyagi Prefecture by the Children's Music Revival Fund, the predecessor of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, featuring music club activities from the three disaster-hit prefectures. As mentioned in the book I introduced earlier, this song was performed in an ensemble with over 300 performers on stage in this very hall. Director Sakamoto, who said at the time, "I thought the stage would break with all the stomping," was also here.

The two of them had hesitated to stand up and perform solos at the last training camp, but they performed confidently. The results of their shadow practice have come out.

After the show, we all took a group photo backstage.

Captain Kaizu presented Non, the reading guest, with a message from the group members on a colored paper.

With Maruyama Shu, who drew the portrait in the center of the colored paper.

With trumpeter Naganuma and trombonist Naito, who performed solos during the encore.

Additionally, backstage, Fukusumi's father sent us a photo of his son when he was in fifth grade in 2015. The photo was lined up the same way as the original, so we've embedded it above.

People grow! Now, both of them are first-year university students. They are "Sora and Mao" (just like that) from TYO.

Another alumna who came to visit us backstage after the show came to offer encouragement, carrying another baby in her belly. Her name was Mizuki Sone (maiden name), a horn player who had been a member of the orchestra since its first term.

The next generation of Tohoku Youth Orchestra members will soon be born into this world. We can't wait to embrace them together!

We came together after 3/11 and have been working ever since. Director Ryuichi Sakamoto was at the center of our activities. Thanks to the centripetal force of this "old man who just loves music and sound too much," a community like a family had formed.
I hope this performance reaches what Jung called "Great Father," not "Great Mother."

Tickets are still available for the concert in Koriyama (guest: Sayuri Yoshinaga) on Saturday, the 30th. The film also features a wealth of unreleased material, including photos from Ryuichi Sakamoto's private archives and footage of his days with members of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

Please come and visit us.