Soma Children's Orchestra and Chorus

The year 2020 was full of unimaginable events. We had originally planned our 6th El Sistema Japan Children’s Music Festival in Soma in March 2020. Like many other events, that was postponed due to the pandemic and finally held on December 27 at Soma Civic Hall with a modified program. Last year, while lessons were suspended and the future was uncertain, the children patiently kept practicing. The year-long effort resulted in a great performance, followed by a storm of applause from the audience in a warm atmosphere on a cold winter day.

“On the day, I was so happy just to see such a large audience despite the situation and that we were able to perform in front of them,” said Momoka, the concertmaster, after the concert. “When we were getting ready and about to perform, I felt a lot of tension, not from nervousness, but from the huge anticipation that you feel when you are really excited. That feeling for the first time in a year almost made me cry. I don't know how to put the joy of performing into words, the whole performance felt like an instant, and I really didn’t want it to end in a way I had never felt before. Just after the concert when teachers told me one after another that the performance was great, I cried so hard that I couldn’t speak.”

For Nanami, the chair of viola, “this music festival was extraordinarily special." She continued, "the festival and the rehearsals towards it brought us, the Soma Children’s Orchestra, a lot of progress. Making efforts for each other, helping each other, laughing together, we worked hard to play in ensemble and to make good music. Those moments are so precious in terms of time and memory. Nothing can replace them and the experience will always stay vivid in my mind. We are not professional musicians, but I like the sight and time that we played together more than any other beautiful, skillful performance. I think our performance was so original, wonderful, and full of memories that, years later, I will still want to listen to it.”   

El Sistema Japan is now preparing for an upcoming concert, the World Children’s Music Festival 2021 on March 29 from 6 pm JST (https://www.elsistemajapan.org/wcmftesteng), which will be broadcasted globally. This was originally planned in March 2020, and rescheduled for this date in a new form.  We would be pleased if you joined us online (https://worldchildrensmusicfestival2021intokyo.zaiko.io/buy/1pre:c5M:8e8c3).