Behind the scenes of the Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku revealed!
On Sunday, January 5, 2025, the "Noto Peninsula Earthquake and Heavy Rain Reconstruction Support Volunteer Concert IN Hokuriku" was held at the Himi City Arts and Culture Center in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture.
Volunteer concerts are concerts held mainly in the coastal areas that were the hardest hit in the three prefectures affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, to bring smiles to the faces of those in the affected areas through music. TYO members plan, negotiate, and host the concerts themselves, and have held them in various locations in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Tokyo from 2016 to the present.
This time, we decided to hold the first volunteer concert in Hokuriku to support the recovery efforts following the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January 2024 and the heavy rains that occurred in September of the same year.
In this report, TYO captain Kaitsu Kota will introduce the various stories that led to the holding of the "Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku."
January 1, 2024, 4:10 PM Noto Peninsula earthquake occurs.
At the time, I was shopping with my family in Tochigi Prefecture.
Suddenly, the emergency earthquake alert went off on everyone's cell phones and we felt a big tremor.
Realizing that this was not normal, we started gathering information and found out that an earthquake had occurred in Hokuriku.
We later learned that the families and friends of nine TYO members had also been affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
After that, TYO started talking about how we could help in some way.
First, we thought about what we could do.
At that time, the members suggested that we would:
Gain courage through music and simply raise funds. This is a long way off, but we would hold a concert in Kumamoto, just like we did when we performed in Kumamoto. Fundraising. Creating videos and boards with messages of support. Performing with a student orchestra from Ishikawa Prefecture. Charity concert. Creating an opportunity to play with children who play music from Ishikawa, just like we did during the Kumamoto earthquake. They suggested playing somewhere (preferably somewhere with a fair amount of foot traffic) and collecting donations on the street, then donating the money.
Many ideas were put forward, such as these.
Of course, this was right after the earthquake, so emotional recovery was far from the point of view of the people.
First, they posted a message and a URL for the instrument repair service on TYO's website. Then, they began discussing how they could provide financial support, however small it might be.
February 2024 Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku
We held the "Volunteer Concert in Kesennuma," which we had been planning for some time.
You can check out the event here, so please take a look.
In fact, we were collecting donations in conjunction with this volunteer concert in Kesennuma.
This is a donation box that I made myself, although I'm not very good at it.
With the help of the members' families, we collected donations.
Meanwhile, I witnessed people from Kesennuma, which was affected by the disaster in 2011, donating money saying, "We want to give back to the people who helped us on 3/11."
That made me think.
Until now, TYO had always been on the receiving end of support, but was that really okay?...
What was the purpose of TYO?
As the first captain since the death of coach Ryuichi Sakamoto, I had been struggling to decide what direction to take, but then I found the answer.
The time had come for TYO to move from being on the receiving end to being on the supporting end. Now was the time.
This became the basis for TYO's current slogan, "From being supported, to supporting others."
Ultimately, the Volunteer Concert in Kesennuma succeeded in raising 46,400 yen in the course of a roughly hour-long concert.
Of course, it wasn't a large amount, but it was a moment that connected the disaster-stricken areas with each other.
Regular Concert in March 2024
"Tohoku Youth Orchestra Concert 2024 in Memory of Director Ryuichi Sakamoto" will be held.
In the 9th period, we toured
・Morioka Civic Cultural Hall (Iwate Prefecture)
・Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi (Miyagi Prefecture)
・Kenshin Koriyama Cultural Center (Fukushima Prefecture)
・Suntory Hall (Tokyo).
Among them, the performance at Suntory Hall was live-viewed at Himi City Arts and Culture Center, where the "Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku" was held this time.
This is the video that was featured on "Sunday Himi" at that time.
(Actually, my name was broadcast incorrectly lol, it's easy to get confused.)
Yoichi Kawade, general producer of Himi City Arts and Culture Center, who appeared in this video, was very helpful in organizing the live viewing. He will also be of great help to us at the "Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku."
Apparently 1,500 people applied for the 800-seat hall, which was free to attend, and many people came not only from Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, but also from the Noto Peninsula area of Ishikawa Prefecture.
After the concert, the results of the live viewing survey will be sent by Himi City Arts and Culture Center.
・Our house will also start repairs from mid-May. It gave me the strength to do my best. Thank you.
・I was moved. I cried. Thank you.
・I think I've recovered a little bit of my illness and regained some energy. Thank you so much.
・I felt like we were all connected.
We received many messages of praise like these.
Thank you to everyone in Hokuriku who came to watch the live viewing.
However, the most noticeable thing was the voice that
"I want to listen to a concert live."
From here, we began to think about how we could somehow bring "live" performances to Hokuriku.
May 2024: Visit to Hokuriku
On May 11-12, 2024, I will be going to Hokuriku with volunteer performer Mao Fukuzumi.
First, I headed to Himi to say hello to the Himi City Arts and Culture Center, which had helped me out with the live viewing. This was my first time in Himi. Himi has a beautiful sea, is rich in nature, and has large mountains in view, giving it a different atmosphere from the Tohoku region.
As I gazed out at the beautiful sea, the weather gradually started to look ominous.
The roads gradually became more twisty and bumpy, and several places were closed to traffic.
Walking through the town, I saw that the windows of houses were broken and roofs were covered with blue tarps, probably because tiles had fallen off. There were also many buildings that had collapsed and been completely dented.
I was in the first grade at elementary school when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and I remember it well.
It was like I was witnessing what I experienced myself during the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Before I knew it, I arrived at Himi City Arts and Culture Center.
Upon arriving, we were greeted by Masami Ito, manager of the business department of Himi City Arts and Culture Center, and Yoichi Kawade, general producer and business manager. Then the meeting began.
At that time, Kawade shared his feelings about the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which has now been about six months since the earthquake.
Kawade: "Six months have passed since the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and outside of this area, the Noto Peninsula earthquake is no longer reported much, and I feel like it has been forgotten. When I go on business trips to Tokyo, people often ask me, "Noto Peninsula earthquake? When did it happen?" Even though we still can't say we've recovered from the disaster..."
By this time, the information on the disaster had calmed down, and people in Tohoku were living normal lives.
However, in Hokuriku, recovery has still not progressed.
I felt that the earthquake was already fading from memory.
And this is where the planning for the "Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku" began.
・To help the people of Hokuriku recover emotionally
・To convey the memories and lessons of the earthquake disaster
・To provide live performances to the people of Hokuriku
Published in an NHK article in June 2024
NHK, who helped us out in the 9th term, published a message for the Hokuriku region.
"There will not only be difficult experiences, but also wonderful encounters"
Tohoku Youth Orchestra
September 2024: Appearing in "OTOBUTAI 2024 HORYUJI" and meeting conductor Takai-san
We at TYO participated in "OTOBUTAI 2024 HORYUJI".
There, we met Takai Yuki, who was the conductor at the Volunteer Concert IN Hokuriku.
At this time, the concept for the Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku had been decided, but nothing had been decided, such as the music or the conductor.
That's when I met Takai-san,
Kaitsu: "We're having a concert in Hokuriku on January 5th. Takai-san, can you conduct it?"
Takai: "I'm free, OK!"
And so, Takai-san agreed to conduct.
And the music was decided.
Works by Ryuichi Sakamoto
・Aqua
・Kizuna World
・Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
・Yae no Sakura Main Theme
・The Last Emperor
・Behind the Mask
Great East Japan Earthquake Charity Song
・Hana wa Saku
These seven songs were decided.
October to December 2024: Preparation and practice for the Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku
From October to December, we will be practicing for the Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku.
Many members raised their hands to participate in the Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku.
However, this time it was a volunteer concert, and in Hokuriku. We couldn't take everyone with us.
In the end, the members who participated were
Iino Miyu, Ishikawa Keika, Ichikawa Kohoro, Ichikawa Mana, Ota Tsugumi, Otsuki Mitsuri, Kajii Karin, Kato Momomo, Kikuta Ayuka, Sato Kousei, Sato Mizuki, Sato Yusaki, Takahashi Hana, Taguchi Yota, Tanji Kaho, Nagata Yuki, Nagoshi Otoka, Fujiwara Ayaki, Mizoi Takahiro, Yamashita Rune, Yusa Akari, and Agatsuma Kuai.
And from the alumni,
Watanabe Masahiro, Watanabe Risako, and Hibino Makoto participated.
At this point, the flyer for the Volunteer Concert in Hokuriku was completed.
In fact, this flyer is also entirely handmade.
It was created with the help of Mr. Ito from Himi City Arts and Culture Museum.
It was also decided at this point that Musica Grat Himi would appear as a guest.
It was the first time I heard Musica perform on the day, and I was captivated by their young, powerful tone.
The members for the talk corner were also decided at this time.
・Kaitsu Kota (Tohoku Youth Orchestra)
・Ota Tsugumi (Tohoku Youth Orchestra)
・Morihime Yoshino (Gathering of 20-Year-Olds)
・Nuno An (Gathering of 20-Year-Olds)
・Inoue Takumi (Saijo Junior High School Handball Club Captain)
・Hayashi Yoko (Disaster Prevention Specialist)
Yoko Hayashi, second from the right, is holding a program that will be given to visitors on the day.
This was also handmade by me.
On the back is a message from the TYO members to the people of Hokuriku.
In this way, we were able to hold the Volunteer Concert IN Hokuriku.
Please check out the member report by fl. Ishikawa Keika for details on what happened the day before and on the day!
January 4, 2025 Volunteer Concert IN Hokuriku Rehearsal the day before
The Tohoku Youth Orchestra holds voluntary concerts organized by the orchestra members on an irregular basis and is looking for voluntary concert supporters.
For a monthly fee of 800 yen, you will receive an email newsletter written by TYO members every Friday. You will be able to experience the fun of TYO and the individuality of the orchestra members in a way that you can't get from regular social media!
We look forward to your support in the CAMPFIRE community!
Thank you for reading!