The Sound of Tohoku: Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta debuts in Tokyo

The Great Earthquake in Tohoku (Northeastern Japan) has left deadly scars everywhere in the lives of local people. True that recovery takes time to come about, there are signs of recovery seen steadily budding. One of them is a youth symphony orchestra from Fukushima membered by junior high school students from Fukushima. The orchestra is about to give its premier concert in the heart of Tokyo this month. 

The Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta, as it is properly called, is basically an orchestra of music students from four junior high schools in Fukushima. A British NPO charity group "Keys of Change" promoted a tour of London last year for the young musicians to play abroad for the first time. The concert tour was a dramatic success as London's Queen Elizabeth Hall was virtually sold out the day of the concert. An audience of 800 witnessed in a visual presentation of how children in Fukushima are surviving their trauma and expressed their resounding support in a standing ovation that lasted over five minutes. A member of the orchestra Hisano Sau recalls, "We had a very precious experience playing with professional musicians. I was personally moved by the way the British people so far away from Fukushima think so dearly of us".

In the premier concert in Tokyo August 20 the orchestra is scheduled to play Glinca "Ruslan and Ludmila" oversture, J.S. Bach Orchestral Suite, Sibelius "Valse Triste", etc.

The British NPO "Keys of Change" is a remarkable charity organization membered by individuals from all walks of life who believe music can make this world a better place. Founded in 2011, the group has toured remote areas to achieve just that end. They visited Northeastern Japan then torn by March 2011 earthquake, tunami, and nuclear disaster, Uganda heavily affected by HIV and then India where people still live in poverty.