Turning a crisis into an opportunity?! A passionate story of the people "behind the scenes" battling the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic!

Breaking the stereotype of serious and rigid people, the "insiders" of orchestra groups are using Twitter to spread the charm of orchestras. The "insider summit," which is becoming a regular event, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but these "insiders," who are overflowing with love for orchestras, did not give up. To deepen their relationship of mutual encouragement and improvement, an online roundtable discussion was held.
We will report on the entire event, on the condition that our faces not be shown!

The Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra (hereinafter referred to as Kanagawa Phil) has truly experienced a turbulent year. From the end of February to mid-July 2020, almost all of the Kanagawa Phil's concerts were canceled or postponed. However, we were able to open up new channels, such as distributing performance videos and remote appearances by orchestra members on YouTube, so we see that as a positive development.
*Click here for the official Kanagawa Philharmonic YouTube channel!

The Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra (hereinafter referred to as Sendai Phil) found it difficult to manage their Twitter account during the six months when they were unable to perform at all. However, they couldn't give up, so they decided to turn the situation of not being able to post performance information to their advantage and focus on sharing information about their daily lives. The main topics were everyday scenes, such as what is happening in Sendai and what the Sendai Phil is preparing. Because they were able to continue posting without interruption, I think they were able to maintain communication with their followers without any breaks.
*Click here for the official Sendai Philharmonic YouTube channel!

Last March, the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra held its regular concert without an audience. The live stream received a great response, but after that, they suspended their activities. They resumed live streaming without an audience in June, and it wasn't until July that they were able to deliver live music to audiences again, albeit with limited capacity.
However, the opportunity to try something new during that time was a valuable experience. We planned and distributed "Hanagasa Ondo in Such a Place" as a PR project for a crowdfunding-style hometown tax donation program. Many people watched it.

The Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra (hereinafter referred to as Tokyo City Phil) held a live stream without an audience on June 25th last year, and has since gradually resumed its performance activities. In addition to performance activities, a group of members voluntarily started a video project called "At-Home Ensemble," in which each section filmed and edited their own performances at home, and released it on the official YouTube channel, receiving a great deal of positive feedback.
On the other hand, there were many changes to the program and performers at the beginning, so I felt bad that there were so many announcements about changes and refunds on Twitter. That's why I'm still careful to avoid making my tweets sad or depressing. My followers have been so cheerful in their responses, and I'm grateful for that; it's a source of encouragement for me every day.

The Japan Century Symphony Orchestra (hereinafter, Japan Century) had a truly chaotic year. After their last concert on February 22nd, they were only able to perform without an audience until June 20th. However, when their regular performance in March was canceled, some of the orchestra members spontaneously decided to do something since they still had the schedule free. They took precautions and filmed performance videos in the rehearsal room, which they were then able to distribute sequentially as the "Century Web Concerts."
Thanks to all that effort, we reached 10,000 followers on April 15th!

All 88888888!

Besides the Japan Century Museum , this past year has been a year of various challenges, such as performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony outdoors in the middle of summer and asking for support through crowdfunding.

The Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra 's Twitter account's strength lies in its ability to provide timely updates, so this past year we've been busy posting program changes and refund information, and I feel like we haven't been able to send out many positive messages. However, we are very grateful that Music Director Tatsuya Shimono is cooperative in our communication efforts and has responded to our requests for video messages and cosplay photos.
*Click here for the official Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra YouTube channel!

[Looking back on the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic]

The Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra's recent hit is "The Fate of Amore Sukegawa, Who Arrived Just Before the Performance Started."

As a way to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra has been informing audiences in advance to write their name and phone number on the back of their tickets. However, many people don't actually do so... So, together with Amore Sukegawa (double bassist: Ryu Sukegawa), we created a promotional video and posted it on Twitter.

While it's not necessarily a direct result of the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra 's Twitter account, the "Bravo Towel" has been very well received. We created it for audience members who can't shout "Bravo!" due to infection control measures, but it's been unexpectedly popular. We're currently on our fourth additional order.

I was delighted to hear that some audience members held up this when a certain long-established European orchestra came to Japan. Incidentally, we also have a "Bravo Tenugui" (hand towel) with a flower hat motif, and both are designed by "the person behind the scenes." I really hope they spread throughout the country (laughs).

Last autumn, the Tokyo City Philharmonic refreshed the wrapping on their transport trucks (orchestra trucks), and we received a lot of positive feedback. Many people said they looked "cool!", and we were very happy that many audience members and performers took photos of the trucks and tweeted about them.

Some people call it the "fire truck color" (laughs), but it certainly makes an impact, doesn't it?

Recently, I tweeted a video I filmed during a rehearsal for our 339th regular concert, which was held at the end of January this year, and it also received a great response. After posting it, I received comments like, "I'm even more excited to go to the concert now!", and I was happy because when I listened to the performance, I thought, "I absolutely want everyone to hear this!!" and tweeted it.

On July 9th, after the Kanagawa Philharmonic resumed activities, we played music as an orchestra for the first time. The familiar sound of the tuning A note and the joy of finally being able to make music again permeated my body, so I tweeted about it straightforwardly, and it seems my feelings reached my followers, as many of them empathized with me.

The Japan Century Orchestra's tweet that generated the biggest reaction was the announcement that Joe Hisaishi would be taking over as Principal Guest Conductor from April 2021.

This was just as exciting.

We recently performed Mahler's Fifth Symphony with a large ensemble for the first time in a while, and for that, our bassoonist handcrafted a "low A tuba" that looked just like the real thing. When we shared a photo of him with a beaming smile, we received many positive comments. It made me realize that what people are looking for is tweets that make the orchestra members feel more relatable.

The Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra's recent tweet that received the most attention was a photo of Mr. Shimono and First Concertmaster Sakuma together, both dressed as Italian chefs. We are looking forward to tweets like this, as they hope to attract attention from a wide range of people, including those who have not had much connection to orchestras before.

Things I want to do once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Let's have a " Sendai Philreal Insider Summit"! It's been about a year and a half since we last met.

The Yamagata Symphony Orchestra has lost its ability to interact with people, so that's something we want to revive first. It's frustrating for us too that we can't provide service to our audience. Once the pandemic is over, we will not only make up for what we couldn't do, but we will also work hard to provide even greater joy than before!

The Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra used to hold meet-and-greets with our audience about twice a year after our regular concerts. We'd like to restart those events as a token of our gratitude to our supportive audience. And of course, we'll also be holding the "Staff Summit"!

I'm really looking forward to the Kanagawa Philharmonic 's "Insider Summit." A wide variety of social media platforms have emerged in recent years, and I want to explore new possibilities by utilizing existing video content and remote methods. Also, we haven't yet resumed the post-performance "farewell" to audience members due to infection prevention concerns. It's a very important "moment" for the orchestra members, so I hope we can resume it soon.

Of course, we want to bring back the Japan Century "Insider Summit," and we also want to revive the rehearsal viewing for our members and the post-concert send-off. There are so many things we want to do. More than anything, we want to loudly tell our audience, "Please come to our concerts!" It's a shame that even though we're spreading the joy of orchestras and music, we still can't casually say, "Please come."

The Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra recently had to cancel its Fan Appreciation Day, which had been scheduled for the other day. We have received many requests from our audience members to resume open rehearsals and post-performance meet-and-greets as soon as possible. We know there are many audience members who are looking forward to these events, so we are eagerly awaiting the return of an environment where we can bring joy to everyone.

What is the appeal of orchestras and music?

There's no doubt that the members of Japan Century are all professionals in their respective instruments and are seriously dedicated to music. That's why we can deliver enjoyable, beautiful music with a wide range of tones and genres. They are serious when they are performing, so they may come across as "stiff," but each of them also has a charming side, and we hope you'll get to know that too.

The prolonged period during which the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra was unable to perform made me realize, more than ever, that "there is an indescribable passion in music." It's music that has captivated so many people over the years, so it would be a shame to dismiss it without even listening to it!

The same moment will never come again with the Sendai Philharmonic . It's no exaggeration to say that this is the charm of live music. Even if the same piece is played twice, strictly speaking, the tempo will not be the same both times, and it's impossible for the two performances to be exactly the same. After all, about 60 people are playing various instruments. The charm of an orchestra lies in the fact that one thing is created by many people working together.
Also, the members of the Sendai Philharmonic are much more approachable, friendly, and interesting than you might imagine; they're very human. If you say "Thanks," they'll say "Thanks" back. Seriously.

The Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra —strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion—comes together to create a single, powerful piece of music that deeply resonates with listeners. That, I believe, is the charm of an orchestra.

The music of the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra has been used in movies, dramas, and commercials, so I'm sure many of you have had the experience of thinking, "Hey, I've heard this song before!" That's because it's so memorable, and even if you're not consciously aware of it, it's something very close to you. Hearing such music live is something you feel not just with your ears, but with your whole body. Live sound, untouched by machines, is warm and touches the heart because it's played by people. I hope to be able to convey that sense of excitement and happiness.

Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra: Across Japan, there are orchestras that are active in their respective regions and engage in activities rooted in their local communities. The Kanagawa Philharmonic also launches various projects to showcase its unique character, but we believe that the "people behind the scenes" are merely a tool to help people get to know the orchestra and lead them into the wonderful world of music. Our goal is for even one more person to listen to the orchestra or find solace in music through the efforts of the "people behind the scenes" on Twitter. We will continue to work together as "people behind the scenes" to spread the charm of the orchestra!