Japan Charity Tour 2019 - Tokyo and Fukushima
Music to Inspire, Regenerate & Connect
Our objective was to undertake a meaningful cultural exchange and outreach tour between musicians based in Oxford and in Tokyo and Fukushima. Though our partnerships with both orchestras were brief, we were extremely touched by the welcome we received from all our partners in Japan, the level of musicality across all orchestras we played with, and how warmly our performances were received.
Thank you to everyone who supported this tour; it could not have happened without you.
You can find out more about our performances in Japan via the Concerts page where they are listed.
Bradley Young (Treasurer and French Horn) wrote this report of the tour to thank St Edmund Hall for the funding which they generously gave towards the trip
In the Easter vacation of 2019, as treasurer of the Oxford University Orchestra (OUO), I had the honour and privilege of organising a cultural exchange and outreach tour to Japan, the first tour in the orchestra’s history of over 100 years. The trip consisted of two halves, the first part (cultural exchange) based in Tokyo and the second (outreach) in Soma City, Fukushima.
Bradley Young and Lydia Padfield (nee Watson) rehearsing in Tokyo
The project was first proposed to the OUO committee in January 2018 by OUO violinist Shun Hioki (MJur 2017, St Cross) who had set up Orchestra Motif. Orchestra Motif are a Tokyo-based student orchestra with representatives from top Tokyo universities and music colleges. Orchestra Motif became our partners in Japan with whom we performed a joint concert in Tokyo as well as collaborating on the outreach projects. Our partnership with Orchestra MOTIF allowed our musicians to come together with Tokyo-based student and professional musicians, and to get to know them as both fellow musicians and friends. We spent many enjoyable hours perfecting our repertoire and performed a sold-out concert in Keio University’s beautiful concert hall, which was met with a standing ovation from our generous audience.
OUO and Orchestra Motif after the final rehearsal in Tokyo
One of the most poignant international responses to the Fukushima disaster 8 years ago was the performance of Song for Japan by brass groups across the world, to show solidarity for those in Japan at the time. Alex East’s (OUO trombone) arrangement for brass nonet was a stunning encore and the performance brought many audience members to tears, moved by our gesture. Following the concert we held a reception in order to thank our many supporters who had made the trip possible. These included the President and Vice-President of Keio University; British Council Japan Director Matt Burney (OUO and St Anne’s alumnus); and Director of the University of Oxford Japan Office Alison Beale.
On our last day in Tokyo we had some time to explore the sights and history of this incredible city. The committee’s time in Tokyo was topped off with an invitation to dinner at the British Embassy by the Ambassador and the University of Oxford Japan Office – it was a privilege to meet and perform for Chancellor Lord Patten, Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson as well as the Ambassador himself.
OUO string quartet performing at the British Embassy in Tokyo
For the outreach part of our tour we were invited to take part in El Sistema Japan’s annual Children’s Music Festival Weekend in Soma City, Fukushima. We spent a fantastic day rehearsing with the Soma Children’s Orchestra and Chorus – there were over 200 performers on the stage – before performing together for a packed concert hall. We came away feeling inspired by the determination and drive of the children who we shared the stage with and the enthusiasm of the audience. It was a delight to celebrate our respective cultures through our mixed repertoire of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 and Soma Bon-Uta, a local folk song, which our Japanese desk partners taught us the words to. Our partnership with the Soma Children’s Orchestra and Chorus was picked up by Japanese National TV. The visit was reported in multiple newspapers and online. (http://www.suzukimethod.or.jp/monthly/OUO2.html)
Orchestra members enjoying a dinner put on for us by our hotel in Soma City . This stunning hotel on the Fukushima coast has not been fully restored since the 2011 disaster, we were their first foreign visitors since then.
El Sistema Japan was founded in 2012 to support children affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011. It is committed to developing life skills in children ‘through music’ to help them overcome the post-disaster challenges. In order to help children that have experienced difficulty as a result of the disaster, they have established an orchestra and choir, bringing young people together to make music. El Sistema Japan runs a school-based programme for over 2000 students by providing instruments, organising music classes and providing opportunities for students to join the large ensembles. When Friends of El Sistema was established in Soma-City, children were still living in a challenging environment and struggling with traumatic stress caused by the earthquake, tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear accident. Many of them lost family members and friends - they had to be relocated to shelters and were restricted from playing outside due to radiation levels. The hope is that the children will grow and regain a zest for life through the work of the El Sistema-inspired music programme. Slowly but surely positive changes are being seen in the children as well as community they live in.
The OUO and Orchestra Motif horn section with the El Sistema Children's Orchestra horn section and their teacher
After our performance alongside the Soma Children's Orchestra and Chorus and the Soma Community Choir
These are some of the translated quotes from the performers and audience in Soma:
“It was so powerful!”
“I am so impressed. I think it is the first time that Soma city is filled with such an enthusiasm.”
“It was so much fun and I really enjoyed it. I really want to perform with them again next year.”
“Even though we cannot fully communicate in the same language, music transcends the border and we can communicate together. It was amazing.”
“It is without doubt that OUO has high music excellency, but not only that, they are really kind and friendly. I learned a lot from them.”
A very civilised Japanese-style crewdate with our Orchestra Motif colleagues
On our final day we visited the tsunami monument in Soma, learning about the tragic effects of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. We then went to the Minamisoma Solar Agripark, where we met children involved in the Asubito Fukushima programme. This organisation was set up in the wake of the disaster, encouraging young people in environmental, educational and community initiatives, including promoting new technologies, as a way of getting young people involved in the recovery of the district. We were left amazed by the level of passion and innovation of the teenagers we met. We introduced the local schoolchildren to the instruments of the orchestra, gave them the chance to conduct us, and played together with the Minamisoma Junior Chorus Ensemble. It was amazing how much our visit meant to them and we felt extremely grateful to bear witness to the regeneration Fukushima has managed to achieve in 8 years. It was a fitting ending to our tour which perfectly captured the values we aimed to promote in our cultural exchange and outreach work: music to inspire, regenerate and connect.
Learning to play a 400-year-old traditional Fukushima instrument at the reception after the El Sistema concert
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this tour possible. Every contribution led to an incredible experience for each of the orchestra members as well as giving us an opportunity to positively impact the lives of hundreds of people that we met. I hope the legacy of our visit will continue well after the visit sadly came to an end.
Enaging with the teenagers involved with the Asubito Fukushima youth project
We are so incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to the £60,000 worth of fundraising. I would like to thank Kathy Willis who was so receptive to our aims when I met her to present our plans and ask for financial assistance. Teddy Hall contributed over 20% of the total funds obtained from colleges and JCRs which is true testament to the values of the college.
Conducting experience at Asubito Fukushima
As testament to the success of our project, we have since been invited to several locations for future projects. We have selected to be involved in the BTHVN2020 project in Bonn to commemorate 250 years since Beethoven’s birth. We have been invited as the UK’s representatives at this festival and we are in the process of planning outreach work with local refugee organisations and schools during our visit.
