Education Festival 2025 Spring Break Orchestra Exploration: See, Hear, and Touch the Orchestra! Event Report

Japan Philharmonic Orchestra + Suginami Public Hall presents

Education Festival 2025 Spring Break Orchestra Exploration
See, hear, and touch the orchestra! Event report

　(Photos and report by Atsushi Yamaguchi)

1. Introduction (Summary)
Due to the impact of the COVID-1 pandemic, the "See, Hear, Touch the Orchestra!" education festival has been held with a scaled-down program for the past few years, but this year, for the first time in a while, a variety of events were held at full capacity, including surprise performances in the lobby, instrument experiences, craft workshops, and new projects, truly bringing back the "see, listen, touch" orchestra experience. This marks the revival of the idea that had been in the works since the festival's launch: "Turn the entire Suginami Public Hall into a music theme park for one day."

The huge musical group known as an orchestra and the audience are usually separated by two spaces: the stage and the auditorium. This one-day event narrowed that distance, allowing the audience to experience the reality that each orchestral musician is a real person, with whom they can converse. It also allowed the audience to actually touch the orchestra's instruments and make sounds. And above all, it allowed the audience to learn about classical music from a wide variety of countries and even take part in the performances themselves. This was the kind of opportunity that was created for these various encounters and discoveries to be experienced throughout Suginami Public Hall.

2. Staff structure
A total of 90 people were involved in the operation, including administrative staff and musicians from the Japan Philharmonic and Suginami Public Hall, volunteer staff, and members of the Ogikubo Festival Orchestra.

3. Records for each section

■ Surprise Live
A surprise was held at Harmony Plaza on the first floor. This time, two groups, "Takayama Gumi" and "Japan Philharmonic String Ensemble," held mini-live performances. The sight of the audience surrounding the performers, staring in amazement and listening intently, was very impressive.

[Takayama Group]
Akihiro Tamura (vn), Seiko Onuki (vn), Motomichi Konakazawa (vla), Kimito Kubo (vc), Tomohito Takayama (Cb)

[Japan Philharmonic String Ensemble]
Taketoshi Karin (vn) Nishimura Yuko (vn) Honda Junichi (vn) Sato Shunichiro (vn) Nakamizo Tomoko (vla) Kubo Kimito (vc)

■ Instrument experience
This popular content, which always draws long lines, is back for the first time in a while. This time it's the violin and cello.
Members of the Ogikubo Festival Orchestra kindly supported the participants as they tried out the instruments.

■Captain Owl's Town Hall Exploration
The tour took us on a freight elevator and walked around the backstage area of ​​the auditorium. A member of the auditorium staff acted as tour conductor, and we had the opportunity to experience things that are not usually possible, such as playing the famous Bösendorfer full concert grand piano in the piano storage room and actually operating the stage lighting control desk in the control room.

■Relay Solo Concert "Music Encyclopedia"
In the small hall, seven members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra took turns performing a relay concert. They also spoke about their passion for their respective instruments. This section featured some highly enjoyable pieces, and both adults and children listened attentively.

First player: Sachiko Hirai (vn) Second player: Nozomi Ehara (vc)
Third player: Hiromasa Matsuoka (ob) Fourth player: Nobuyuki Inukai (tp)
Fifth player: Shun Ito (hrn) Sixth player: Yuta Ito (tb)
7th player: Yumeki Terunuma (cl)
Accompaniment: Naoko Tada/Yuko Kobayashi (pf)

■Craft Workshop "Let's all decorate umbrellas together"
They lined up tables in the bright foyer, letting in natural light, and made small umbrellas. It was impressive to see the children not only listening to the music but also concentrating on their arts and crafts.
This umbrella appeared at the final orchestra concert.

■Play with orchestra members!
This was the first time that the event was held in Studio D in the basement. Children who won a lottery performed a piece (Leroy Anderson's "Syncopated Clock") together with six members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, which they will also perform in the final orchestra concert. The group enjoyed playing together under the guidance of navigator Pon-kun (Mutsumi Inami).

Mutsumi Inami (facilitator) Daiki Tanizaki (vn) Nagisa Sakaki (vn) Kaori Konii (vla) Tetsuya Osawa (vc) Kenta Ikeda (perc)

■Stamp rally, musicians' autographs
Collect stamps at the stamp booths on each floor of the Public Hall, and when you complete your collection you will receive a commemorative gift. Also, the guidebook (event program booklet) handed to you upon entry has a signing section on the last page, where members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra you meet inside the building will sign autographs for you.

4. Orchestra Concert
The event will conclude with a concert by the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the main hall.
The opening was spectacular with "Toreador March" from Bizet's "Carmen," followed by two polkas by Johann Strauss II. During "Thunder and Lightning," the audience joined in, waving umbrellas handmade in the lobby workshop. A giant clock also appeared during Anderson's "Syncopated Clock."
In the middle section, the beautiful singing voice of narrator Ami Ishii appeared, and the audience joined in on "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "The Bear in the Forest."
The second half of the concert reached its peak with Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. Then, comparing the sizes of four different string instruments, the audience enjoyed the beauty of the string ensemble with Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo. The concert concluded with Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance No. 1, a majestic march and the noble, virtuoso melodies of the trio. The encore was Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March, with the audience joining in with the clapping.

*Performance information
Date: Saturday, January 2025, 3　
Venue: Suginami Public Hall, Large Hall, etc.
Cast: Kazuki Wada (conductor) Ami Ishii (narrator)
Yasutomo Ogiya (Concertmaster)
Japan Philharmonic Orchestra

Organizers: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra / Suginami Public Hall (Keio Equipment Services Co., Ltd.)
Sponsors: Keio Corporation / Child Co., Ltd.
Sponsored by: Suginami Ward/Suginami Ward Board of Education
Cooperation: Sound Kitchen
Supported by: New Orchestra Support Project | Japan Arts Council