[Member Report] TYO's 10th term kicks off!

On Sunday, July 21st, the kickoff ceremony for the 10th term and the first joint practice session were held at the Fukushima Minpo Hall.

First, as is customary every year, TYO Secretary General Hirokazu Tanaka gave a talk about the Tohoku Youth Orchestra and its future activities.

Tanaka-san recently founded "Tanaka Hirokazu Company." We spoke about this and the future of TYO.

What are TYO's goals for this year?

1. To convey the current situation of 3/11 through music, and not to let the reality that still leaves deep scars fade away.2. To perform the works of director Ryuichi Sakamoto, and pass on his creativity to future generations.3. To connect with children in areas affected by natural disasters, and provide support through music.

In particular, with regard to 3, given the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred on January 1st of this year, this is an area we would like to focus on.

We also received words of encouragement from Masato Oshiki of Yamaha Corporation, Representative Director of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

Next, Michio Hattori from JA Kyosairen Fukushima, who supports us every year, gave us a speech and a cup of tea. Thank you for your continued support this year.

This was a very welcome gift, as it was a scorching hot day in Fukushima City, with a maximum temperature of 35.9°C.

The captain for this term, following on from the previous term (9th term), is Kaizu Kota, a third-year university student from Fukushima Prefecture who plays the trombone section.

Apparently, she found out she would be captain on the day of the 9th term's kickoff, but as this is her second year as a 10th term member, you can see a sense of relief in her expression.

Compared to the 9th generation photos, they look a lot calmer.

The 10th term will start with 94 members, including 32 new members.

My personal goal is to quickly learn people's faces and names and become friends with them.

Last year, there were only alumni participating, so there were not many new members, but this year there are a lot of new members, so I feel like the atmosphere has changed completely compared to the 9th term.

All current members will be introducing themselves and meeting each other.

He is Kikuno Kanade, a horn player. He has been with the band since the first season and is a veteran member who is well known to those who know him. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the captain's right-hand man.

However, he seems to have a habit of being late recently, so the captain said he might give him a wake-up call before every practice.

After the self-introductions of all the members, the band performed at their March concert this year.

Tohoku Youth Orchestra Concert 2024 in Memory of Director Sakamoto

We all watched the Blu-ray.

It's only been about four months, but I feel so nostalgic.

We each got a Blu-ray, so we watched a lot of them at home, but my favorite is still "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence."

This year's concert started with Director Sakamoto playing the piano. That part gives me goosebumps no matter how many times I watch it. Even though it was just on the screen, I was very happy to be able to play with Director Sakamoto.

After the concert, we disbanded.

This is the first ensemble practice for the members who will be participating in "OTOBUTAI 2024 HORYUJI" to be held at Horyuji Temple in Nara on Saturday, September 7th.

The practice session was attended by conductor Yuki Takai and pianist Marihiko Hara.

"OTOBUTAI 2024 HORYUJI" will be broadcast on the MBS and TBS networks on Sunday, November 10th, so be sure to tune in.
https://www.mbs.jp/otobutai/

In addition, volunteer members of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra will be participating in the "Voice Fukushima Summer Festival" to be held at Fukushima City Machinaka Hiroba on Sunday, August 18th.

Volunteer members are also practicing for the concert.

The performance is scheduled for around 14:35. If you are in the area, please come along!

The next practice session will be the start of full-scale ensemble practice for the concert in March of next year. All members will work hard to make it a wonderful concert.

We appreciate your continued support for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra this year.

by Flute section: Keika Ishikawa