A new tradition begins - Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra

In April 2022, Ryusuke Numajiri was appointed as the fourth music director of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra (Kanagawa Phil), and a dialogue between Mr. Numajiri and Governor Kuroiwa took place.
We bring you Mr. Numajiri, who is active on the front lines both in Japan and internationally, and Governor Kuroiwa, the "chief supporter of the Kanagawa Philharmonic," sharing their thoughts on the Kanagawa Philharmonic, their future aspirations, and some amusing anecdotes.

—Regarding your appointment as the fourth music director, could you tell us your honest feelings when you first heard about this opportunity, and how you feel now that you've taken on the role in April?

Numajiri:
To be honest, I was very happy.
I've had a fairly long relationship with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, and I even performed with them back when they held their regular concerts at the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall. For the next 10 years, starting in 2007, we performed together in one opera production each year at the Kanagawa Prefectural Hall. Opera productions involve long rehearsal periods, so I think our bond naturally deepened. I'm taking on this role at a point where we no longer feel the need to force ourselves to look good or be overly considerate of each other, so I'm sure we can start off with a bang.
It's already a great privilege to have the Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, one of the world's leading concert halls, as our home venue, but on top of that, the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall and the Kanagawa Prefectural Hall also function as our second and third home venues, allowing us to create programs that are suited to each location. Such a fortunate environment is rare.

—What is the position of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra within Kanagawa Prefecture?

Governor Kuroiwa:
It is the only professional orchestra based in Kanagawa Prefecture, and is a valuable asset to the prefecture.
Eleven years ago, when I became governor, I was asked to become the head of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra's cheering squad, and when I listened carefully to what they had to say, it turned out to be quite a challenging request...
In fact, if the Kanagawa Philharmonic doesn't eliminate its debt of 500 million yen within the next two years, it will have no choice but to disband.
So, after attending a Kanagawa Philharmonic concert, I myself took a donation box and microphone and called out, "The Kanagawa Philharmonic is going bankrupt! Please donate!" Everyone was leaving the lobby with satisfied looks on their faces after listening to the performance, when the governor suddenly appeared and started calling for donations. People quickly lined up in front of my donation box and started donating in droves.
As this was happening, there was a change in the mindset of the orchestra members, and before we knew it, we were all lined up together in the lobby in our costumes, and we were all calling out, "Please!"
This has continued for a long time, and in August 2013, we were able to eliminate our debt, and in April 2017, we were able to become a public interest incorporated foundation. I think this is a truly valuable orchestra where everyone feels a strong sense of having protected it together.

At the same time, I felt that the Kanagawa Philharmonic's sound had improved. Then, the conductor at the time said the same thing, so I thought my intuition was correct.
Everyone's feelings became united when they recognized the crisis. That was reflected in the orchestra's sound. So, the feelings of all the people of Kanagawa Prefecture truly came together, raising the quality of the Kanagawa Philharmonic and overcoming the crisis. I think it was a very dramatic experience.

—Please tell us about the appeal of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra.

Numajiri:
As the governor mentioned earlier, we are the only professional orchestra based in Kanagawa Prefecture, which has a population of 9.2 million, so there is still plenty of room to gain new fans. Neighboring Tokyo has a population of 14 million, but there are only eight major professional orchestras. The competition is quite fierce.
Kanagawa Prefecture has a culture-loving atmosphere, and amateur orchestras, wind ensembles, and choirs are very active there. Besides Yokohama, there are many halls with excellent acoustics, so the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra truly seems to be nestled in a treasure trove of opportunities. Their skills have improved dramatically in recent years, and I think they are an orchestra well worth supporting.

Governor Kuroiwa:
That's right. There was a crisis that threatened their existence, and the Kanagawa Philharmonic itself made various efforts to overcome it.
They would go anywhere, from small concerts to elementary schools and various other places, bringing people the joy of music.
When we go to elementary schools and play with the school orchestra, or when the Kanagawa Philharmonic suddenly plays our school song, the elementary school students, who initially don't understand what's going on, realize, "Hey, I've heard this before!" and have the opportunity to experience the charm of music and orchestras.
This led to a growing sentiment of "Let's all support the Kanagawa Philharmonic," and "This is a treasure of our prefecture." I think that became a very powerful force.
It was through being propelled by these factors that the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra grew and developed.
As a result, our ranking as "Your Favorite Japanese Orchestra" rose to fourth place. That's something we're truly happy about. We want to continue to cherish this momentum.

—Could you tell us what you think the Kanagawa Philharmonic needs going forward?

Numajiri:
Above all, we want to gain recognition from the people of the prefecture. We need to reduce the number of people who think, "Orchestras have nothing to do with me." To achieve that, I don't mind performing outdoors or even on a boat. I want to do all sorts of concerts, such as concerts for children and beginners, and crossovers with other genres. Of course, it's also important to improve the quality of our regular concerts, which are the "face" of the orchestra.
Our goal is to create a situation where every household in the prefecture has a copy of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra's annual program booklet in their living room magazine rack.

Governor Kuroiwa:
Orchestras can seem intimidating, right? I think there are many more ways we can do things that make them more accessible and enjoyable for everyone to attend.
Actually, I think there are a lot of mysteries when you watch an orchestra perform. For example, what is the conductor doing? What does that person do? I think many people don't really understand these things.

Numajiri:
It doesn't make any noise, after all.

Governor Kuroiwa:
Can an orchestra not perform without a conductor?
There are times when you do things in a way that's appropriate, right?

Numajiri:
When the performance is going well, I sometimes deliberately don't give any instructions.

Governor Kuroiwa:
Everyone secretly wonders what a conductor actually does. If there were something that explained it, people might realize, "Ah, so that's what they're doing!"
Back when I was a news anchor, I once used Seiji Ozawa's annual concert (music festival) in Matsumoto as the subject of a news program. We brought the entire studio to the Matsumoto stage, and after the concert, we had Seiji Ozawa come and do the program. That's when I saw the rehearsal. It was only after watching the rehearsal that I truly understood what a conductor does.
Seeing the process of bringing everyone together in one direction makes it very easy to understand.

Numajiri:
For example, if the string and wind instruments aren't playing well together, the conductor might prescribe a solution, such as asking the percussionists to play a little softer or, conversely, to play more clearly. I think seeing something like that will deepen your understanding of orchestras. The Kanagawa Philharmonic's rehearsals at the Kanagawa Art Hall are often open to the public for free, so I hope you'll come and see one sometime.
However, even I don't fully understand "what conducting is," and I remember one time when I was conducting an orchestra rehearsal as a student, the sound suddenly improved. I wondered why, and then I realized that Seiji Ozawa had come into the rehearsal room. And suddenly everyone produced a great sound (laughs). I wanted to say, "If that's the case, then produce a good sound from the beginning," but in the end, I guess it's not just about conducting technique, but also about human qualities. Those are things that you probably can't see just by observing a few rehearsals.

Check here for information on the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, where a new tradition has begun:
Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra Official Website