October 22, 2025

びっくりから始まった私の音楽

The Tohoku Youth Orchestra relies on your support. We sincerely appreciate your generous contribution. We always accept donations by bank transfer. If you are considering a donation, please email the following information to info@tohoku-youth-orchestra.org and make a deposit to the bank account below. Thank you in advance for your attention and cooperation.
*Currently we are not able to accept donations via credit card. Thank you for your understanding.

●Your Name
●Name of your group
●Amount
●Your email address
●Would you like your name to be listed on our website as a donor or not? (Yes/ No)
Preferred name that will be listed in the Donor Registry (If you prefer different name from your name above)
●Would you like to have a receipt or not? (Yes/ No)
●Notes / Message

【Name and address of designated bank account】
MUFG Bank, Ltd.
1-8-6, Ebisunishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
【Swift Code】
BOTKJPJT
【Account Name】
Tohoku Youth Orchestra
【Branch Name】
Higashi-Ebisu Branch
【Account Number】
3080490

Hello, nice to meet you!
I'm Komai Kokone, a first-year high school student and 7th-year violinist from Iwate Prefecture.

The first time I realized music was fun was when I received applause from the audience at my first performance with the local junior orchestra I joined in the first year of elementary school.

I remember playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the sound came out, it became a song, and I was so happy that I was playing it.

I chose the violin because most of the instruments in the junior orchestra were violins, and although I aspired to play the cello, it was too small to carry around.

Music has always been a part of my life since I was little.

When the earthquake occurred, I was just one year old and had just started walking.

All I remember is that there was something shaking and a snowman collapsed.

However, after joining Tohoku Youth, I sometimes wondered if it was okay for me to be without any memory of the disaster among my peers who did.

Still, whether I remember it or not, I believe it's important to learn about the events and use them to improve in the future.
After the earthquake, one of our alumni, Dandy, asked me, "What do you think is the most important thing?" I answered "water," but he replied, "electricity." I remember thinking that there's a difference between people who have actually experienced it and those who only know about it.

My mother found a flyer for Tohoku Youth Orchestra.

Many of my friends from the junior orchestra were also in the orchestra, so it was a natural progression for me to join.

But at our first meeting, I was only in sixth grade at the time, and I was surrounded by older people, so I felt lonely and anxious.

I remember being amazed by the power of the brass and woodwind instruments at our first ensemble, and doing my best to keep up.

And our first concert was at Suntory Hall. My violin teacher told me, "That's amazing," and I got to perform with director Ryuichi Sakamoto, which made me realize how special this orchestra really is.

To me, Tohoku Youth Orchestra is a "place to belong" and a "treasure."
Here, everyone is close to each other, regardless of age or gender, and it's a place where we can all talk as if we're friends, including university students, administrative staff, and conductor Yanagisawa.

The people I've met here are truly important to me.

Through these activities, my performance technique has, of course, improved.

But the biggest thing was realizing that I prefer playing in an ensemble rather than solo.

It all started when we performed the Ninth Symphony with the 7th ensemble. It was my first time performing a long piece, and I was overwhelmed by the power of the choir.

I also strongly felt that the sound wouldn't be the same without one person.

The more people there are, the more difficult it is to synchronize, but I love the process of the sounds gradually blending together.

Every year, when we play the first ensemble's pieces for the first time, I feel a little sad that the sound has changed.

When we performed in town, the audience's faces were close and I could often see their faces smiling as they listened to the music, and it made me realize, "music can make people smile so much!"

I remember seeing a young child dancing happily at the front, which made even me, the performer, happy.
I would like to continue to be involved with music.
As well as performing, I would like to try my hand at composing someday and bring smiles to the faces of many people through music.

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びっくりから始まった私の音楽