FY 2019 Archives

Matsushima

The concert opened with a lively hip-hop dance performance by the Matsushima High School Dance Club, followed by a rich variety of acts, including hula dancing, a Hawaiian band, and traditional suzume-odori (sparrow dance). The age range of the performers was also quite broad, from two years of age to 75. The concert hall was filled with a spirit of joy as they conveyed their desires to bring happiness and hope to the town of Matsushima through their music and dance. The main guest, Midori Karashima, performed the song Te Wo Tsunago (Hand In Hand), during which everyone in the hall became united as one great circle.
This concert was also attended by Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki, who lost their children in the disaster. The couple were moved to tears as the performances evoked a myriad of feelings. Officer Utsumi, the police officer in charge of the search for the family’s still missing daughter, also happened to be one of the performers, and they were much surprised by this unexpected reunion. After the concert, the couple wrote messages on cards expressing support for the Tohoku region, and they left with the promise that they surely would come again next year.

Soma

The 34th “Sound of “Wa” Concert to Support Eastern Japan in a Spirit of Harmony” was held on September 22, 2019, in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, which is widely known for the terrible destruction caused by the tsunami. A variety of acts performed on the stage, including the four-member vocal group Circus, as well as local chorus groups and an ensemble band comprising students from the city’s three junior high schools. The beautiful melodies encapsulated the deep sorrow of the disaster-stricken area, and the voices of the singers that reverberated throughout the concert hall were both tender and powerful.

Tono

Although the inland city of Tono did not suffer from the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake, it did suffer such afflictions as the destruction of buildings and cutting off of its lifelines. Nevertheless, the city promptly initiated relief efforts for affected coastal areas, such as the preparation and distribution of meals in the Tono City civic center (the location of the concert hall), and became a base for logistics support activities.
The concert included such acts as a chorus from a choir of local boys and girls and a special band formed by the music clubs from the four high schools in the area around Tono City. Those on stage included children from the generation born after the earthquake, evoking an awareness of the passage of time from the disaster to recovery.
Special guest Machiko Watanabe performed the song Kamome Ga Tonda Hi (The Day The Seagulls Flew) together with Tono’s local band New Liberties, in perfect unison. Wanting to lift the spirits of those in his hometown, Mr. Nitta, the director of New Liberties, was busily engaged in preparations for the concert more than a year in advance. At the conclusion of this concert, put together through the efforts of so many, both the performers and the audience joined together to sing the song Ano Subarashii Ai Wo Mou Ichido (To Be Together Again) in a grand chorus.