The 3rd Joint Practice Session was held on October 5th at the Fukushima Minpo Hall.

For this session, instead of the usual instruction from Ms. Yanagisawa, we were honored to receive guidance from Mr. Fuminori Shinozaki—widely known as “MARO,” the renowned former concertmaster of the NHK Symphony Orchestra—and other instructors from Music Force.

Needless to say, Maro-san himself, as well as the other instructors, are all distinguished figures leading today’s classical music scene in Japan—many of them members of professional orchestras or actively engaged in various musical activities.

Personally, I was especially honored to receive guidance from Ms. Shimizu, the flute instructor, whom I have known as a performer since my high school days.

In the morning, we divided into strings, woodwinds, and brass/percussion sections for sectional practice.

During the lunch break, some members purchased “Ongaku wa Mahō” (“Music Is Magic”), a picture book written by Maro-san.

In the afternoon, we were also joined by Mr. Yoshihide Ōtomo, a musician from Fukushima Prefecture who was involved in founding the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

Mr. Ōtomo spoke to us about the story behind the creation of the Youth Orchestra.

From around 1:00 to 1:40 p.m., a dialogue between Mr. Ōtomo and Maro-san took place.

Although it was said that the two were meeting for the first time, they engaged in a wonderfully harmonious and engaging conversation.

They talked about the differences in their musical backgrounds, their encounters with Professor Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the various projects they had worked on with him.

What left the strongest impression on me was Mr. Ōtomo’s discussion of “native music.” Using the rhythm of rock-paper-scissors as an example, he explained that everyone possesses some form of innate music within themselves.

On a personal note, I had met Mr. Ōtomo once before at a reconstruction event held at Shiki no Sato when I was a child, and since we also share the same alma mater, Fukushima High School, I was truly delighted that he was able to join us for this Youth Orchestra practice.

From 1:40 to 3:00 p.m., we continued with practice sessions divided into even smaller sections than in the morning.

Mr. Ōtomo also observed the sectional rehearsals.

From 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., we held a full-orchestra rehearsal under the direct guidance of Maro-san.

During the rehearsal, Maro-san gave the violin section some memorable advice, saying, “Play the glissando as if you were going through a rebellious phase.” After that, the glissandos sounded much more expressive and vivid—it was truly impressive.

After the rehearsal, thanks to Maro-san’s kindness, a signing session was held, and many members eagerly lined up for his autograph.

Maro-san and all the instructors from Music Force — thank you so much for coming all the way to Fukushima to guide us this time!
To all members, let’s focus on the points we received guidance on and work on them in our individual practice so that we can improve before the next joint rehearsal.
This report was brought to you by Yuzuki Asano from the flute section.
It was my first time writing a report, and I truly appreciate you reading it to the end.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the concert!