Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra performs with Yokohama Municipal Chigasaki Junior High School

The Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra (hereafter referred to as Kanagawa Philharmonic) held a concert in collaboration with the Yokohama Municipal Chigasaki Junior High School Wind Orchestra on Monday, September 23, 2024 (a national holiday). One week before the concert, on September 16, 12 musicians from the Kanagawa Philharmonic visited Chigasaki Junior High School and held a workshop where they practiced their instruments. We report on the workshop and the passionate performance on the day of the concert.

3 hours of dedicated practice per instrument

The Yokohama Next Concert 2024 is a dream concert project in which the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and children from Yokohama's 18th ward will perform together. This year, for the second time, the Chigasaki Junior High School Wind Orchestra will take to the stage.
On September 16th, one week before the performance, performers of various instruments, including flute and oboe, from the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra came to Chigasaki Junior High School to give direct instruction to the brass band members. The students were nervous at first, but the Kanagawa Philharmonic musicians carefully instructed them on the basics, such as how to handle their instruments and how to produce sound. The students listened obediently to the advice and made great progress on the spot, producing good sounds and keeping in sync with the rhythm.

After the workshop

We spoke with Egawa, a flute player, and Toyoda, a horn player, from the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra.

-What did you think of today's workshop?

Egawa: He was full of motivation and was incredibly straightforward, immediately adopting the advice I gave him. He was honest and very enthusiastic.

Toyota: It was a lively practice session. Because he has the ability to play the bass, he was able to quickly incorporate any extra advice.

-Please say a few words to the students who will be taking the test next week.

The Toyota Concert is different from a competition, so I hope you enjoy it. There is a lot of room for improvement, so I think you will improve significantly with each practice session. I think today's instruction will be put to good use.

Now it's time for the real thing! A dream concert

The first part of the concert opened with a majestic fanfare by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by the performance by Chigasaki Junior High School. Conducted by the band's advisor, Mr. Kenichi Asayama, the band played two pieces they had also performed at the band competition: "Fairy Tale" by Itaru Sakai and "Revival" by Hiroshi Hoshina. The performance was full of energy and enthusiasm, hard to believe considering the performance was by children, most of whom had only started playing instruments in junior high school. For the third piece, a Eurobeat Disney medley, the first-year students, all wearing vibrant, colorful capes, performed a dance in the front row of the stage. The entire audience clapped along to familiar melodies like "Mickey Mouse March" and "It's a Small World," creating a joyous atmosphere.

Next, Yasunao Ishida, principal solo concertmaster of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, performed with Chigasaki Junior High School, playing Jealousy arranged by Koichi Ohashi and Theme of Remembrance arranged by Kenjiro Urata. Ishida's smooth and beautiful violin tone resonated deeply with the audience, and his wonderful interaction with the students moved the audience deeply. When Ishida was not playing, he turned his body around as if watching over the students.

The second part began with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra performing three pieces: Alvamar Overture, Romanian Folk Dance, and Dance of the Polskie from the opera "Prince Igor." Then came a joint performance with Chigasaki Junior High School. The Yokohama City Song was conducted by the school's advisor, Mr. Kenichi Asayama, and the Triumphal March from the opera "Aida" was conducted by Kanade Yokoyama. The students performed from the back of the stage and in front of the pipe organ on the second floor.

The sound of each individual instrument harmonized with the whole, creating a beautiful harmony. The encore song was "The Star-Spangled Banner." The performance by the orchestra and brass band, which had a grand scale, captivated the audience with its powerful impact. After the performance, the members of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra praised the students with thunderous applause. The applause from the audience continued for a long time, and the joint performance by the students and the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra must have deeply moved the audience.

After the performance

We asked Kumai Yu, a horn player with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, for his thoughts.

-Please give us your honest thoughts and a message to the students.

I think this is a very meaningful initiative, as it broadens the world of children, like having young Kumai soccer players play soccer with Yokohama F. Marinos. A student from Hodogaya Junior High School, who performed with us at last year's Yokohama Next Concert, joined our junior orchestra this year. In this way, I believe today's experience may inspire them to become involved in music in the future. Some students may imagine orchestras as something a step above brass bands, but the vast world of music is the same, just with different entry points. I hope that they will broaden their horizons and enjoy music, knowing that it's okay to enter from anywhere.

We also asked Chiyoko Yamamoto, head of the Chigasaki Junior High School brass band, for her thoughts.

-Please give us your thoughts on today in one sentence.

Yamamoto : It was fun. I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed, but when I looked at the faces of the band members around me after the performance, they were all smiling. Seeing that, I thought, "I'm glad, I enjoyed it." Before the concert, Professor Asuyama told me that there are many other instruments besides wind instruments, and that he wanted me to realize that each one has its own path, and that the world of music is vast. Through this experience, I've seen that he's actually right. I'm not sure what my future holds, but I've become interested in string instruments and other instruments, and I feel like my world has expanded.

As the name Yokohama Next Concert suggests, this concert will connect to the future of children and the Kanagawa Philharmonic. I wonder which ward's junior high school brass band will be selected next year.
I'm looking forward to the next time.

Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
Official website: here
Concert schedule: here