On January 17–18, the 7th joint rehearsal was held at Fukushima Minpo Hall.

On the morning of the first day, under the guidance of Mr. Yanagisawa, instructors from MusicForce, and the tutors, we practiced the ensemble parts of the 3rd and 4th movements of Beethoven’s Fate Symphony. As the National Center Test for University Admissions was being held that day, not only the third-year high school members but also many first- and second-year high school members had mock exams, so it felt like fewer members than usual were able to attend the rehearsal.

After lunch, we focused mainly on pieces by Director Sakamoto. A personal highlight for me is “Tong Poo.” Although we performed this piece at last year’s concert as well, this year it has been newly arranged by Director Sakamoto and Dai Fujikura, giving it a different impression from last year. Both versions are wonderful in their own way, and I am already looking forward to performing it at the concert.

In January and February, members who come from Iwate and Miyagi, as well as those who live far away within Fukushima Prefecture, stay overnight in Fukushima City.

On the morning of the second day, we practiced the ensemble parts of the 1st and 2nd movements of Beethoven’s Fate Symphony, which we had not worked on the first day.

These are the members who are not playing in Beethoven’s Fate this time.

For lunch, we received bento boxes and melon bread kindly provided by JA Kyosai Fukushima.
Thank you, as always. They were very delicious.

After lunch, we rehearsed the 3rd and 4th movements of Beethoven’s Fate Symphony as well as ensemble pieces by Director Sakamoto.

While some members happily posed with smiles during lunch, they wore serious expressions once the rehearsal began.

Here’s a small anecdote about one of the pieces on the program, “Ballet Mécanique.” In the woodwind section, there is a passage that uses a technique called key clicks, where players make clicking sounds only by tapping the keys without blowing air into the instrument. Because no actual tone is produced, the sound is very quiet.

As a result, to make the clicks audible, we have to tap the keys quite firmly, and I always find myself conflicted about balancing the volume with the potential strain on the instrument.

On this day, we also held a rehearsal for “Yuzuru HANYU notte stellata 2026,” in which the Tohoku Youth Orchestra will appear as a special guest.

At the recent photo exhibition and volunteer performance at Sanyodo Bookstore, many fans of Yuzuru Hanyu kindly told us, “We’re really looking forward to it!”

On a personal note, I have never been to an ice rink before, and after hearing from Hanyu’s fans that “the rink is very cold,” I must admit I’m a little nervous.

All of us in the orchestra are working hard to live up to the expectations of everyone who will be attending.

This report was brought to you by Satoka Ishikawa from the flute section. It feels like only yesterday that the 11th term kicked off, but there is now just one joint rehearsal left before the concert. With influenza and other infections still going around, we hope all members will take good care of their health and make the most of the remaining rehearsal days.

Thank you very much for reading to the end.
We look forward to seeing you at the concert in March and at notte stellata 2026.

Tohoku Youth Orchestra Concert 2026

Thursday, March 26, 2026
Matinee: 15:00 (Doors open at 14:15)
Evening Concert: 19:00 (doors open at 18:15)　
Suntory Hall Main Hall

Conducted by: Toshio Yanagisawa
Performed by: Tohoku Youth Orchestra
Reading by: NON
MC by: Mari Watanabe

Program:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Dai Fujikura: Tong Poo
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Ballet Mecanique
The Last Emperor
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
and more
Please note that the program is subject to change.

S seats: 6,000 yen
A seats: 5,000 yen
P seats: 4,000 yen
(tax included)
(including 2,000 yen donation to Tohoku Youth Orchestra)
＊Tickets required for ages 3 and up.

General tickets on sale: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Ticket:
eplus        http://eplus.jp
Lawson Ticket        https://l-tike.com/
Ticket Pia     https://t.pia.jp/
Suntory Hall Ticket Center
Tel: 0570-55-0017（except for closed days 10:00～18:00）
Suntory Hall Members Club　https://suntoryhall.pia.jp/

Inquiries: DISK GARAGE Inquiry Form　
http://www.diskgarage.com/form/info

Organizer: Tohoku Youth Orchestra

Supported by:    
Digital Garage, Inc.
Kakaku.com, Inc.
Yamada Bee Farm Co., Ltd.
Morinaga Angel Foundation

Cooperation:
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Yamaha Music Japan Co., Ltd.
PR Consulting Dentsu Inc.
General Incorporated Association Music Force

Production:
PROMAX Inc.

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