PARTNERS IN PERFORMANCE: 2011/2012 SEASON

* ICEP 2009 Photos *

Photos: T. Oda


























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Enjoying children's playing at Sekolah Dasar (2008.12.22)

Playing at ICU of Harapan Hospital (2008.12.28)

Touching the violin at Tan Miyat(2008.12.29)

At the Official Residence of the Japanese Ambassador in Jakarta (2008.12.22)

Advising ISI Quartet (2008.12.23)

Session at Yayasan Music School (2008.12.27)

Grha Bimasena (2008.12.28)
Photos: T. Oda

MIDORI AND CHARLES ABRAMOVIC GIVE A PiP CONCERT IN RENO, NEVADA

November 2008

As a recipient of a concert sponsored by Partners in Performance, The University of Nevada, Reno Performing Arts Series hosted a sold-out recital featuring Midori and pianist Charles Abramovic and a community masterclass by Midori on November 15, 2008.

The impact of this performance in our community has yet to be fully felt, but early feedback from our audiences included statements such as "Wow, I have never heard anybody talk to me like that through an instrument. I could hear every nuance of the music as if the composer was talking to me," or "This concert has changed how I will listen to music from now on." Having access to this level of performance has shifted our audience members' ears and will allow them to continue enjoying and expanding their enjoyment of chamber music.

In addition to audience growth, the Performing Arts Series experienced an increase in season ticket sales which we attribute to Midori and Charles being on the series. The patrons who joined us because of the recital will also be introduced to a wide variety of chamber music, from jazz to classical, with a little improv theatre added into the mix. We hope that their experience with the series will compel them to join us again next year.

Midori's masterclass featured two graduate students from the University's Orchestral Studies Program in front of an audience of approximately 85.  Gordon Tsai played a movement from the Mozart Concerto in D, and Emily Cox played a movement from the Prokofiev Concerto No. 2.  Each student received approximately 20 minutes of coaching from Midori, who brought an inspiring energy to the masterclass. The students were taken beyond technical restrictions to a level of musicality that allowed them to soar. Audience members were taken with Midori's ability and desire to have every note serve the music and assist the musician with communicating their musical message.

With the assistance we receive from Partners in Performance, along with the proceeds from the November 15 recital, we will continue to bring a chamber music groups on the series for the 2009-2010 series and beyond.  This funding is particularly important to us as our state and university are going through difficult budget times.


Cathy J. Chapman Walters
Director, Performing Arts Programs
University of Nevada - Reno

   CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PROGRAM
             - NEWSLETTERS -
Click each Newsletter to read the contents.

 Reviews, Articles & Feedback (May 4th)  

 Newsletter Vol.4 (April 14th)
   • Making New Work Happen: 21st      Century Patron Saints!
     by Victoria Roth
   • Midori on the Music of Isang Yun
   • European Techniques, Korean      Sources and Character: Gasa and the      Violin Sonata of Isang Yun
     by Walter-Wolfgang Sparrer
   • 20th-Century Timeline: an Eclectic      Overview

 Newsletter Vol.3 (April 3rd)
   • Midori on Meeting Alexander Goehr
   • Breathing and Construction
     by Alexander Goehr
   • Excerpt from an Interview with      Alexander Goehr
   • Midori on György Kurtág's Tre Pezzi
   • György Kurtág: Miniatures for Piano,      Strings
     by Anthony Burton
   • Interview with Robert McDonald (Part 3)
   • Links to Publishers and Societies

 Newsletter Vol.2 (March 20th)
   • Midori on Judith Weir
   • 247 Word about New Music
     by Judith Weir
   • Excerpt from an Interview with Judith      Weir
   • Midori on Witold Lutosławski
   • Lutosławski and his Relationship      with the US
     by Lech Dzierzanowski
   • Interview with Robert McDonald (Part 2)

 Newsletter Vol.1 (March 11th)
   • Interview with Robert McDonald (Part 1)
   • Present for the Future: A Journey      Through the Music of the 20th      Century
     by Lucien LaMotte
   • Scenes from Rehearsals
   • Biographies of the Composers
   • Suggested Listening

Readers are invited to submit questions, about contemporary music in general or Midori's all-contemporary program in particular. Time and space permitting, Midori will answer some of the questions on these Newsletter web pages.
Please address your questions to violin@gotomidori.com

Midori established the University Residencies Program (URP) in an effort to create enduring ties among visiting performers, university students and faculty, and the surrounding communities. Guest artists visit each school for a total of two weeks, spread over two academic years, giving two recitals and participating in a variety of activities, both musical and nonmusical. URP aims to support the university's orchestral and chamber music programs, and aspires to facilitate collaborations of the music programs with non-music departments at the school.

The residency fee is determined specifically for each location and includes all public and private performance fees.

Students — both music and non-music majors — are active participants during the residency, and assist in planning and coordinating some events. Music-related activities may include masterclasses, chamber music collaborations, open rehearsals, and discussion of many topics, ranging from practice tips to career choices to instrument maintenance. Students will engage in active music making with the artist, which may lead to a public performance. The guest artist may also perform with the University orchestra during the second year of the residency.

Outside of the music department, activities for the artist may include visiting classes in subjects of special interest, and giving lectures. Informal and non-academic activities among the artists and students are also encouraged, and all activities are open to discussion and suggestion. Artists are open to a wide range of suggested activities with preference given to those entailing direct student involvement and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The inaugural University Residencies Program took place at North Park University in Chicago, which completed the 2-week cycle in November 2004. Detailed descriptions of the NPU residency can be found elsewhere in the Projects section of this website, and at www.northpark.edu/acad/music/. The University of Wisconsin-Madison held Week 1 of URP in November 2004, and Midori will return with pianist Robert McDonald in April 2006 for Week 2. Smith College in Massachusetts will begin its URP in Spring 2006, with Midori and pianist Charles Abramovic.

For further information about the University Residencies Program, please contact:

Kelly Gehrs, URP Project Coordinator
33 West 19th Street (Suite 305)
New York, NY 10011
Tel: +1 646 619-1181
e-mail: kagehrs@earthlink.net

Music Sharing is a non-profit organization in Japan, founded by Midori, dedicated to outreach activities of Western classical and traditional Japanese music in settings including public schools, children's hospitals, and special institutions. Music Sharing events encourage the collaboration of all participants. While Midori performs classical music concerts, her colleagues visit the same schools and institutions at other times of the year to present programs of traditional Japanese music. In 2004, Music Sharing added a program for future teachers and young musicians starting out their careers.

Each year during the early summer, Midori and her pianist-partner Koji Oikawa participate in the Classical Lecture Concert Program. Over more than 15 activity days, Midori and Koji dedicate themselves to bringing high-quality performances to children around the country. Midori's 2005 Music Sharing Tour began on May 30th in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital city, which has a 1200-year history and is filled with over 3000 temples and shrines. The children enjoyed music by Bach, Mozart, Sarasate, Kreisler, Carl Engel, and Einojuhani Rautavaara, performed by Midori and Koji, interspersed with lively talk about the composers and the works.

Midori and Koji also presented Lecture Concerts at three elementary schools in Hiroshima, a city deep in prayer for world peace as it marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing this year. Although outside there were heavy squall-like rain showers, Midori and Koji's performance pushed the sound of the rain far into the background as their beautiful music filled the gymnasium with excitement and enthusiasm.

From May to July, Music Sharing offered the Lecture Concert Program to 15 elementary schools, four special institutions for mentally/physically handicapped children and a special education institution. During this period, Midori and Koji visited 13 cities all over Japan and gave 24 concerts, the largest number of concerts in one summer since the program began 13 years ago. In 2005 alone, more than 4300 children attended the Lecture Concerts. In the autumn, a group of musicians will perform traditional Japanese music for the same children through the Traditional Music Lecture Program.

During the tour, Midori and Koji also visited two junior orchestras and a high school orchestra under the Orchestra Visit Program. Each orchestra gave a wonderful performance of works they had been preparing for months, and, in exchange, Midori and Koji gave a short performance. About 200 younger musicians participated in the program and they were all thrilled and fascinated by Midori and Koji's tales of their past experiences as well as their suggestions and advice on making music.

The College Program, the latest addition to Music Sharing's educational programs, offered a rare opportunity to 60 college students, all taking teacher training courses, and seven full-time teachers currently teaching at elementary schools, to exchange views and opinions on issues surrounding the current educational situation and future projection. The current as well as 'future' teachers all shared a desire to make school an interesting and inspiring place for children, providing them with opportunities to use and explore their powers of imagination and encouraging them to think for themselves. The 'future' teachers spoke of their dreams and plans while those already in the profession offered practical advice as well as new challenges for the future. The program was presented in collaboration with the Educational Department/Faculty from two universities, and both Midori and Koji attended the discussion, offering their views and sharing their experiences.

For this year's Special Concerts, the final concerts in a series that will cease after 2005, Midori and Koji were joined by eight junior and school orchestras (four orchestras each in Tokyo and Osaka). In Tokyo, Midori and the Tama Youth Orchestra played Summer from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, and the Sendai Sacred Heart Junior High School Orchestra performed the third movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Koji Oikawa. In Osaka, Midori was accompanied in the same repertoire by the Senri International School Orchestra and Koji by the Doshisha Junior High School Orchestra. All the orchestras made amazing progress throughout the rehearsals, and the halls were brimming with excitement and expectation of family and friends of the orchestra members. The weekend of rehearsal and concert became an unforgettable experience for the young musicians.

Music Sharing's Programs are designed to stimulate children's emotional development, broaden their horizons and encourage the process of self-discovery. This year, as always, we felt privileged to witness the amazing power and infinite possibility of children through our programs.

The following comment (from a teacher of the elementary school in Kyoto) captures the spirit of our programs:

The air of expectation and excitement surrounded the children, and the wonderful performance and the talk by the two artists made all of us spellbound. Our school does not usually offer any specific programs to cultivate aesthetics among the children, but we believe that we have always done our best to bring up children with a heart to choose and accept what is genuine and good. The Lecture Concert demonstrated to us our children's pure spirit and enthusiasm.

Toshio Hashimoto, Director
Music Sharing

In June 2005, Midori spent two weeks touring Asia with pianist Peter Vinograde. During this period she gave five recitals and a series of masterclasses, and participated in the second Total Experience project with university students in Japan.

The first concert of the tour took place at Macao Cultural Center's Grand Auditorium on June 21. Midori and Peter flew from New York to Hong Kong and then took a ferry to Macao, where they arrived in heavy rain and thunder. Fortunately, there were clear skies by the time of the concert. Afterwards, the artists rushed to the port to catch the last ferry back to Hong Kong.

The following day, Midori and Peter performed at the Hong Kong Cultural Center to a sold-out crowd. There was an air of excitement and expectation in the hall that remained after the performance as hundreds of audience members waited to meet the artists in the lobby.

The next stop on the tour was Singapore, where Midori and Peter gave a concert as well as violin/piano masterclasses. Midori's much awaited debut on the Singapore concert stage was warmly received, and the Esplanade Concert Hall was filled with an enthusiastic audience. Again, Midori and Peter appeared in the lobby following their performance, to meet and speak with audience members.

The following day, the violin and piano masterclasses were held in the Esplanade's Recital Studio with its beautiful acoustics. Five violin students and two piano students received lessons from Midori and Peter respectively in the packed studio, as musicians, parents, and teachers all listened attentively. After the masterclasses, Midori and Peter took an overnight flight from Singapore, arriving in Tokyo in the early hours of June 26.

Since September 2004, students of Arts Management at Niigata University and Showa Music University have worked on an experimental project that evolved from the Total Experience Project (2002). Based at the two universities, the project aims to encourage students to devise and experiment with ways of improving the quality of the concert-listening experience for all participants (artists, presenters and audience). This year, under the theme Wa (link, relationship, circle), students planned and produced events including a series of free afternoon concerts in the city center, cello and conducting masterclass for the local residents, open lectures at the university and mini-festivals of student and local amateur artists. As the project progressed, the tie between the university and the local community strengthened, and it is hoped that, eventually, the new ideas and methods springing out of this project will help to revitalize the current classical music scene. Midori met students and teachers at both universities to discuss the progress of the project and some of the issues surrounding the concert-making process. Midori and Peter also gave recitals on both university campuses.

Wakako Hanada
OFFICE GOTO Co.

May-July 2004

MUSIC SHARING 2004

Although Midori's 2004 tour of Music Sharing, her government-authorized non-profit organization, was plagued by exceptionally hot weather, it was nevertheless a great success. The tour began in mid May, usually a temperate month in Japan, but this year already summer-like. It ended at the beginning of July in the midst of record-breaking summer heat.

Through this year's Lecture Concert program, Midori and her pianist-partner Koji Oikawa visited 12 elementary schools and four special education institutions, presenting live classical music to and animated talks with over 3500 children around the country.

On the tiny island of Ishigaki in the East China Sea, over 1200 miles from Tokyo, Midori and Koji performed at a special institution for mentally handicapped children. At the elementary school in Kobe City, which served as a shelter for people who lost their homes in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, they were met with many brilliant smiles. Midori and Koji also performed for students at the small elementary school in the east end of Shikoku Island, near the beautiful Shimanto River, where fireflies can still be seen fluttering around the banks at night. Their program included works by Mozart, Wieniawski, Prokofiev, Bach, Dvořák and Liszt.

Both artists enjoyed meeting many younger musicians of youth/junior orchestras in a variety of locations in Japan through the Orchestra Visits program, which took place in the same period as the Lecture Concerts. More than 500 members of 10 youth/junior orchestras enjoyed the exchanges of musical performances and ideas with Midori and Koji. "I was deeply moved by Midori's playing. When Midori talked to us, she would give us very detailed answers. It was the most precious and memorable experience I have ever had," said Kyoko Horiuchi, a 13 year-old violinist in the Hikone Joy Junior Orchestra.

This year, Music Sharing piloted a new program, in collaboration with the Education departments of several Japanese universities. Targeting teacher trainees, particularly in the area of music education, the program encourages the examination of current educational situations, and discussion of students' anticipated roles in the field. Midori shared her knowledge and experiences of education in the US and Japan with 200 students from four universities. In continuing to carry out trial programs, Music Sharing aims to make the College Program a fully-fledged division of Music Sharing in the next few years.

In Special Concerts for children and their families in Tokyo and Osaka, two distinguished performers of traditional Japanese music, Ms. Kazue Sawai, a renowned player of the Koto (a string instrument of Chinese origin) and Mr. Ko Ishikawa, an Imperial Court Music player, performed with colleagues and invited the audiences to savor an entirely different world, that of ancient Japan, when people led easier lives with no anxiety about time. Midori and Koji played Suk's Burleska, Milhaud's Le Printemps, and Sinding's dramatic Suite in the Old Style.

This coming November, the Traditional Japanese Music Lecture Concert by Ms. Sawai and her ensemble and Mr. Ishikawa with his colleagues will officially launch the Koto Program and the Gagaku Program respectively at the 12 elementary schools and 4 institutions throughout Japan where Midori and Koji Oikawa gave their Lecture Concerts this summer.

Toshio Hashimoto, Director
Music Sharing

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PROJECT 2004-2005

Between December 22 2004 and January 12 2005, Midori and pianist Robert McDonald toured Japan with two recital programs. One program consisted entirely of works composed since 1979.

All-contemporary Program:
Judith Weir: Music for 247 Strings (1981)
Isang Yun: Violin Sonata No.1 (1991)
Alexander Goehr: Suite for Violin and Piano Op.70 (2000)
György Kurtág: Tre Pezzi Op.14e (1979)
Witold Lutoslwski: Partita for Violin and Piano (1984)

The five works above represent the rich variety of styles that contemporary music offers and were selected and put together from the vast literature written during Midori's lifetime.

Midori has always taken a proactive role in incorporating lesser-known works in her recital programs and has also championed the music of living composers. The Contemporary Music Project is one of her ongoing efforts to examine musical works with her audiences and encourage a more substantive approach to listening. She believes that music matures as it is performed and critiqued and that this is a crucial component of the life of musical works.

To enable audiences to become more familiar with the repertoire prior to the concerts, several approaches were taken:

Free Program Guide DVD
A Program Guide DVD was produced featuring specially shot interviews with Judith Weir and Alexander Goehr. Additionally, a filmed interview with György Kurtág was extracted from a documentary program. The DVD also included biographical data on all five composers as well as descriptions of the individual works and sound samples. Those who purchased tickets to the contemporary recitals were invited to apply for the DVDs, which were sent to them free of charge.

All-Day Event
An All-Day Event was held on December 26, 2004 at Tokyo Opera City's Large Rehearsal Studio. Several hundred people applied to attend, of whom 160 were chosen by lottery.

The Event opened with a 90-minute introductory lecture on contemporary music by Prof. Akira Nishimura, composer and lecturer at the Tokyo College of Music. Prof. Nishimura used printed chronological tables of 20th-century music history and numerous sound samples to guide the attendees through recent developments in contemporary music.

This was followed in the afternoon by a work-by-work commentary and analysis of the pieces on Midori's contemporary program presented by Prof. Shin-ichiro Okabe, musicologist and lecturer at the Department of Art Studies, Meiji Gakuin University, in collaboration with Midori and pianist Robert McDonald.

The last part of the day consisted of an Open Masterclass led by Midori. Five students from Japan, the United States, and Korea, were selected through tape auditions. Each chose a work from Midori's contemporary program and received a public 45-minute lesson. The scores of the works were projected on an overhead screen to enable the audience to follow the music.

The All-Day Event was accompanied by an exhibition in which attendees were invited to look through scores, books and CDs related to the five composers, documentary programs about some of the composers were shown on a television screen and a listening space was provided so attendees could sample works by the composers. The YAMAHA Music Store also set up a temporary sales counter where scores were available for purchase.

The All-Day Event attracted a great deal of media coverage, including national newspapers and magazines as well as radio programs. NHK taped the All-Day Event as well as the Tokyo recital.

Exhibition
Midori and Robert McDonald performed their all-contemporary recital program in four Japanese cities: Mibu, Osaka, Sapporo, and Tokyo. At each concert venue, an exhibition space was set up in the lobby inviting audience members to browse through scores, CDs, and books during the interval.

In summary, the Contemporary Music Project brought together people who might not ordinarily have chosen to attend such an adventurous program. Many concert goers who said they had previously considered contemporary music as something "to be endured," came out of the concerts deeply moved, spoke with Midori afterwards, and wrote to her through her website to tell her how the experience had changed their outlook toward and appreciation of contemporary music.

Some of the comments may be read below:
"For me, the music of Bach, Mozart and other Romantic composers has always felt closer to my heart (than contemporary music). But, at the same time, I was curious to know why many musicians seemed to be able to feel sympathy with contemporary music, and your wonderful project gave me the chance to find out. Through the Special One-Day Event, I learned that there are many ways to approach and appreciate contemporary music."

"I did not know much about music...which music was more popular, or what kind of composers there were or what a sonata meant, and I was a little afraid that the lectures might be too difficult for me to understand. However, even someone like me, who knew next to nothing about classical music, found the Event very interesting. There is some music that you like intuitively, and with a little knowledge, the interest and appreciation of the music can grow very much."

"Listening to your Masterclass taught me how difficult it really is to play music exactly as it is written. The depth into which you read each score, and your effort to get close to the composer's thoughts behind the work are impressive and moving."

"I very much enjoyed the concert on January 12. I was not too keen on contemporary music, but the Program Guide DVD and the Special One-Day Event helped make the concert a highly memorable experience. [...] The many [reservations] I had about contemporary music seem to have disappeared. It is wonderful to be able to feel close to the music of composers who are living (or have lived) in the same era as myself."

Those involved in the Contemporary Music Project would like to express their sincere gratitude to all who supported the idea and particularly All Nippon Airline (ANA) for tour and project sponsorship. Thank you also to the composers, their publishers, the International Isang Yun Society, Judit Kele, Les Films d'ici, and Digital Classics Distribution.

Audience at All Day Event

After many months of planning, the first University Residencies Program (URP) took place in November 2003, with Midori and pianist Jonathan Feldman spending a week at North Park University in Chicago. The residency was designed in close cooperation among Midori, the faculty and the students of the school. The goals of URP are to encourage an active involvement in music for both music and non-music students, and to give a deeper experience of musical collaboration to university-level musicians. Together with an aspiration for high-quality performance, emphasis is placed on planning, process and dialogue. Through URP, the students have direct access and contact with both the artist and the human being.

At first glance, realization of these goals might seem unattainable, or that it would be "too good to be true," in the words of Tom Zelle, North Park's Orchestra Director. However, with dedication and creativity, it certainly proved possible. From the very first stages of planning, attention to the practical and the specific is necessary in order to make the residency a success.

North Park University was recommended to Midori by her manager Byron Gustafson, an NPU alumnus. It was an ideal choice of venue for the inauguration of URP, as it is a small university, and therefore easier to create and evaluate our plans. Most of the music school was involved in the project at some stage of the residency, as were some non-music students and faculty.

The pinnacle of this first week was to be a concert of collaboration among the students and the professional musicians, and would include chamber music, vocal recitals and instrumental duets. NPU students and Midori would perform the Shostakovich String Quartet No.8; and before each movement, chairs would change so more students could participate. Jonathan Feldman would accompany singers in recital, as well as play Poulenc's Sonata for Piano for Four Hands with its movements divided between two students. Midori and Jonathan would each play a sonata with a cello student: Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello (mvmts. III, IV) and Brahms' Sonata for Piano and Cello in F major, Op.99, respectively. The final event of the week would be a formal recital given by Midori and Jonathan Feldman, the proceeds of which would be donated to NPU's Urban Outreach program. Several blocks of time were set for open rehearsals, so that students and faculty could come to hear the music. Some of the activities were not music-exclusive, such as classroom discussions and a chapel service.

After two days of pre-residency rehearsal, and a pizza party, which helped break the ice between the students and "the Artist," Midori arrived at NPU on Monday, November 10, and immediately launched into rehearsal. She then visited a 3-D art design class in which the students were constructing musical instruments, and she talked with them about the logistics of the violin body. She returned to further rehearsal of the Shostakovich, with barely enough time for dinner.

Tuesday the 11th was the first day of Jonathan's involvement in the residency, and both he and Midori had a busy day. Morning was spent in rehearsal with students, then lunch with music majors, followed by more rehearsal. Midori visited a feminism class, while Jonathan continued to rehearse with cellist Wei Yu. The sun had set long before Midori and Jonathan began rehearsal finally for their own recital on Friday.

The next day, Midori performed at the university chapel and spoke on the topic "What is community?", which was followed by a discussion on the same theme over lunch with students. The afternoon held more rehearsals for Thursday's concert. Jonathan gave a masterclass to vocalists, and Midori met with a local arts commission. A chocolate fondue party with the music students followed, and Midori and Jonathan spent the rest of the evening rehearsing.

Thursday, the day of the collaborative concert, arrived with even more activities. Midori spent the morning at an elementary school on Chicago's south side, where she talked with the children and played the violin for them. Meanwhile, Jonathan coached vocalists and pianists on accompaniment, and rehearsed the Poulenc sonata with the two pianists who would perform with him that night.

A few hours in the afternoon were spent in rehearsal, suspended by a discussion with the entire music school to make preliminary plans for the next half of the residency and to review what had happened so far. The students had many valuable suggestions and comments, as did the faculty -- the main complaint was time management. It was difficult for the students and faculty to balance their usual classes and their schoolwork with preparation for and participation in the project. And the suggestion was made that a greater variety of instruments should be involved, not only strings and piano.

As the evening performance approached, energy, excitement and nerves all ran high. The university's chapel was nearly full, as parents and friends had traveled from as far away as Canada to witness this unique event. The concert went off without a hitch, finishing with thunderous applause and standing ovations. It was unforgettable for all who played, heard and felt the music that night -- every note may not have been absolutely perfect, but the concert achieved something much deeper than that.

As most of the exhilarated performers went off to restaurants to celebrate with friends and family, Midori and Jonathan spoke at a press conference of NPU journalism students. The class's assignment was to write an article about this newsworthy campus event, and there were many questions for Midori and Jonathan. A hugely successful evening finally came to an end.

The last day of the residency was another busy one for Midori and Jonathan, but a sort of 'reward' day for the students. Midori was interviewed on a local arts television show in the early morning, before sitting in on 'North Park Dialogue,' the introductory class mandatory for freshmen. Jonathan gave piano lessons in the morning, and the rest of the day was spent in rehearsal for that night's formal recital. The students attended some of the rehearsal, and they would just be able to sit back and enjoy the music that night. The recital program featured sonatas by Hindemith, Brahms, Bach and Saint-Saëns. The chapel was almost full that night, and the Urban Outreach program received a healthy amount from ticket sales. After the recital Midori and Jonathan attended a lovely reception at the home of Dr. David Horner, the University President, bringing a full inaugural residency week to a close.

Kelly Gehrs
URP Project Coordinator

Music Sharing, a government-authorized non-profit organization, made its first step in the field of music education in Japan this summer since taking over from the Midori Foundation Tokyo Branch.

The Music Sharing tour for 2003 began with two Special Concerts for children and their families in Tokyo (June 29 at Tokyo Opera City Takemitsu Memorial and July 6 at NHK Osaka Hall). This year's Special Concerts were full of variety. To mark the start of a new program (Hogaku Lecture Concerts - Lecture Concerts on traditional Japanese music, presented by performers of traditional Japanese instruments), Midori introduced two distinguished performers of traditional Japanese music: Ms. Kazue Sawai (koto) and Mr. Ko Ishikawa (sho). In between Midori's performance of Paganini's La Campanella, Grieg's Violin Sonata No.3, Amy Beach's Romance and Sarasate's Zapateado with Koji Oikawa, Ms. Sawai and Mr. Ishikawa performed compositions most popular and important among the literature of traditional Japanese music.

Those who attended the concert were also given chances to try various traditional instruments. The lobby and balconies of the concert halls were turned into a music fair, with several koto and gagaku instruments on display and professional helpers at hand to assist in trying them out. Doors opened an hour before the concert to allow children and their parents plenty of time to enjoy the displays and trials, and the sounds of instruments mixed with laughter echoed around the concert halls.

Ms. Sawai and Mr. Ishikawa, with their colleagues, then went on to give three Hogaku Lecture Concerts each (as a pilot program) in elementary schools in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. The 60-minute program included performances, talk and instrument demonstration as well as a trial and question time. Everything from music, instruments to the performers' costumes (Gagaku) were new to most children (as well as to most of the teachers), and they all appeared transfixed by the solemn and sublime sound world. The Hogaku Lecture Concerts will join the official program of Music Sharing from next year.

Midori herself had a busy schedule of Lecture Concerts and Orchestra Visits. During the weeks of June and July, Midori and her pianist-partner Koji Oikawa visited 11 elementary schools, five institutions and a hospital, presenting live music and talks to over 4000 children. During the Lecture Concerts this year, children took part in simple rhythm games (the rhythm message game - a game of speed and accuracy in which a short rhythmic pattern is passed on by tapping another person's shoulder, and the rhythm ensemble game - adding layers of rhythmic patterns to make a rhythmic ensemble. By adding pitches to the rhythm, children can learn the basic music constructs). This was done in an attempt to encourage more active participation in the Lecture Concerts, and the idea succeeded in bringing out more enthusiastic responses from the children.

The Orchestra Visits program took them to eight youth/junior orchestras throughout Japan, in which they met more than 700 young musicians. In return for the performance by Midori and Koji Oikawa, each orchestra gave its own lively and passionate performance. These musical exchanges were followed by discussions in which members of the orchestras asked questions about practice methods and approaches to music making, among other subjects.

Long letters and e-mails are already arriving from children describing their excitement and impression of the concerts and programs.

Toshio Hashimoto, Director
Music Sharing

"ON LOCATION" IN LOS ANGELES
MIDORI STRETCHES THE DEFINITION OF 'RESIDENCY'

Midori's On Location residency with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 2002 was the orchestra's third such experiment but, in the words of the Orchestra's Executive Director, Deborah Borda, "Midori helped to expand our vision of what was possible."

The residency was planned over a period of more than two years during which Midori, Ms. Borda and Ed Yim, the Orchestra's Director of Artistic Planning sought ways to reach out to the Los Angeles's different constituencies while reflecting Midori's own broad interests. Midori recalls, "When I first met with two key administrators from the Orchestra to exchange ideas of what we might achieve with a mini-residency, On Location was little more than a title. In fact, to me, it sounded a bit 'Hollywood-ish' and without much substance. (How wrong that turned out to be!) I knew what I did NOT want the residency to be: a school concert like my work with Midori & Friends yet, unlike Midori & Friends, without substantial preparation or follow-up - and calling this 'music education'."

At the core of the eventual ten-day residency were two subscription programs during which Midori performed the Sibelius and Barber concertos three and four times respectively for LAPO audiences. The other activities filling her residency were somewhat more unusual. They included:

- a benefit chamber music concert at the Colburn School with members of the LAPO and the American Youth Symphony in support of the LAPO's Education Department;
- a neighborhood concert with the LAPO at the Wilshire United Methodist Church during which she took part in performances of the first movement of the Brahms Sextet, Op. 18, and the Barber Concerto;
- an interview and discussion with Los Angeles administrators and educators at the Music Center;
- a master class at the University of Southern California for violin students;
- a visit to Hamilton Academy, a magnet school, where Midori played the Mozart Duo in Bb and answered questions from the teenaged students;
- an event for LAPO donors during which Midori performed the Dvořák Terzetto and was interviewed by Ms. Borda;
- a post concert discussion with the LAPO's Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, who quizzed Midori on stage about various aspects of her life and career.

Robert Woodward, the violist who performed the Dvořák Terzetto with Midori, later described the rehearsals and two performances as "the highpoint of my chamber music experience. I remember that the first rehearsal went on for four hours with only a four-minute break. At the end my head felt like putty but afterwards Midori went on to another rehearsal. Her endurance is amazing. The other rehearsals were not as long, three hours or less, but just as determined. I didn't think I had the quality of performance in me that Midori patiently coaxed out of me. It was not patience in a condescending way but rather the singular belief in doing the best possible performance, there being no point in doing anything less. So I was treated as an equal, although of course my playing wasn't! Playing music with Midori was an elevating experience."

For her part, Midori fondly remembers performing with the young artists: "I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the young artists. At times in rehearsal, I felt I was pushing them to their absolute max. We would work out a passage and they were ready to go on to the next one but I would say, 'let's do it again'. They must have thought me so demanding but I don't mind taking time to make things 'right'. And they came along with me the whole way. I send them my thanks for their patience."

And on the Community Concert: "It vibrated with raw excitement. Such community events are very touching. It seems as though the less traditional concert setting empowered all of us to be touched by the music. It was wonderful to be a part of the experience - and also to help prepare the program booklet."

In the days and weeks following Midori's "On Location" residency, the LAPO received a large number of letters from subscribers, educators and Hamilton Academy students. The audience members expressed their pleasure in getting to know a longtime guest artist better as a person, the educators were impressed that someone of Midori's stature would take them time to speak with them so knowledgeably and forcefully about music education and the students from Hamilton Academy were inspired by Midori's performance as well as by the stories she told that demonstrated to them that she might be a very famous musician but she is also a down-to-earth young woman.

Cutbacks in the teaching of arts subjects in schools are very worrying to all of us who care about the emotional and developmental health of children and equally about the health of the arts community. Through her organization, Midori & Friends Tokyo Office, Midori has been performing in schools and hospitals throughout Japan for the past decade but last year she came to the conclusion that a different type of structure - specifically one with non-profit status - was required to respond more effectively to the needs of a changing society.

Midori therefore established MUSIC SHARING, an organization focused on children and developing their skills of self-expression and communication. With Midori as its president, MUSIC SHARING was granted non-profit status by the Japanese government in September 2002.

MUSIC SHARING believes that music of the highest calibre, experienced firsthand, gives children an enhanced sense of aesthetics and culture, awareness of their own creative powers and of their environment. To this end, MUSIC SHARING aims:

--to make both classical and traditional Japanese music accessible to children without diluting them or dumbing them down;
--to become a leader in the field of classical and traditional Japanese music education, encouraging both the availability of live performances and active participation by the children;
--to focus on children's unique and rightful artistic development in a wholesome and holistic manner;
-- to support the health of music education;
-- to conceptualize and re-evaluate programs on an ongoing basis.

MUSIC SHARING worked together with Midori & Friends Tokyo Office in planning for the June 2003 programs. MUSIC SHARING assumes full responsibility for the programs in 2004 and for expanding access to these programs. Among the programs planned for 2003 are:

--Lecture Concerts: 60-minutes of live classical music and related talks by Midori and pianist Koji Oikawa provided free to schools, hospitals, and special institutions, aimed at children between the ages of 10 and 12;

--Orchestra Visits: Midori and Koji Oikawa to visit youth orchestras and ensembles, encouraging the exchange of music and ideas with the students;

--Music Sharing Concerts: to be held in Tokyo and Osaka, designed to provide music of the highest quality, both classical and traditional Japanese, to children and their parents at low cost, together with the opportunity to try out a variety of musical instruments.

--Pilot Program: Lecture Concerts of traditional Japanese music (Koto and Sho) to be presented in selected schools.

MUSIC SHARING operates solely on the basis of charitable contribution. Through individual, foundation, and corporate gifts, we hope to bring the joy of music to as many children as possible, in Japan initially, but also in other Asian countries.

Midori frequently tours Japan but during the summer of 2002, the start of her 20th anniversary season, she spent more time in her native country – and took part in more diverse projects - than usual.

Midori and her piano partner of many years, Robert McDonald, kicked off their Asian tour with recitals in seven Japanese cities. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Midori & Friends (Tokyo Office) Midori gave special concerts in Tokyo and Osaka. Tokyo’s NHK Hall, for example, was the site of a gala concert in which Midori performed the Barber and Tchaikovsky violin concertos in a single evening with the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Claus Peter Flor. The event, titled Concert with Youth, was televised nationally several times. Together with pianist Koji Oikawa, Midori also gave a series of performances in elementary schools, children’s hospitals and special institutions, something she has done annually for the past ten years. New in 2002 was the Junior Orchestra Visitation Program where Koji and Midori shared music and camaraderie with aspiring amateur musicians.

Without question, however, Midori’s most unusual appearances in Japan last summer were what she calls Total Experience Recitals, held in 13 towns or villages, each one conceived independently and taking a unique form.

The inspiration for the Total Experience project was a visit to the theatre during which Midori felt surrounded by and immersed in the theme of the play, experiencing it through all her senses. She wondered whether this experience could be applied to the presentation of classical music. “

“I wrote a paper about what I called "Total Experience",” she said, “for my class at Gallatin [The Gallatin School at New York University, where Midori studied for her Bachelor's degree and is currently working toward her Master's] and we decided to try it out in a series of recitals in Japan in the summer of 2002.”

“My objective,” she continued, “was to challenge the generic concert presentation style by working closely with individual venues to create a concert that would be a personal experience for all involved: the audience, the performers, the presenters and the local community. Another objective for the Total Experience project was to engage as many as possible of the senses of those taking part in the hope that the memory of the theme-related activities would remain in the minds of everyone involved for a long time afterwards.” Pianist Cullan Bryant was Midori’s partner for the Total Experience concerts.

The theme for this first series of Total Experience Recitals was "Relationship and Interconnectedness" ("kizuna" in Japanese). The sponsor was the Sony Music Foundation which, in the summer of 2001, invited applications from public halls around Japan to become Partner-Presenters of the Total Experience Project. Each applicant organization was asked to prepare a strategy that would incorporate the theme of ‘kizuna’ in a community project involving local citizens and local industry. Local artists in all media were encouraged to take part and to interpret the theme according to their particular discipline. In considering the merits of the 150 applications, preference was given to smaller venues away from the major cosmopolitan areas. Of these, thirteen organizations (partner-presenters) were chosen. All the venues had a limited capacity of several hundred seats maximum.

At each venue local residents became volunteer staff and worked alongside hall staff and promoters, involving themselves in every stage of organizing the event, from planning and publicity to presentation.

One element of the Total Experience project was the opportunity - indeed the necessity - for audiences to determine the programme for the second half of the concert from alternatives provided by Midori. Some presenters set up listening spaces within the community in the weeks before the recitals where local residents could listen to recordings of the pieces and vote for their preferences. Others organized lectures by musicologists. The result was that the program selected felt more familiar to audiences because they had listened to all the works and made personal choices as to what they wanted to hear Midori perform. The composers ranged from Beethoven and Dvořák to Szymanowski, Messiaen, Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Sarasate.

Here are examples of how three organizations used their opportunities of Total Experience recitals:

Ooizumi town, with a 14% Brazilian population that is not as integrated into the community as it might be, was celebrating its 45th anniversary and chose to incorporate Midori’s recital into its anniversary events. Ooizumi aimed to bring together a broad cross-section of its residents, including the Brazilians, for the events of the weekend leading up to and including Midori’s recital and to strengthen interest in the violin and in classical music in the town. They set up a Midori section in the Ooizumi library filled with her recordings, books about her and other Midori-related material. They also created a mixed youth choir with Japanese and Brazilian children and put together a festival of Brazilian culture that included Brazilian cuisine and dance for the benefit of the Japanese population. As a result of the varied activities – and, of course, Midori’s recital itself - many overseas residents who had never set foot in the concert hall before came to visit, mingled with their Japanese neighbors and enjoyed themselves. With the money from ticket sales, the town bought textbooks for the town’s Portuguese-speaking Brazilian school and instruments for violin classes.

Hinokimi Sogo Bunka Center is in the Kumamoto Prefecture, which is also home to a rare Astronomical Observatory that was celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2002, just like Midori. The Total Experience Project was planned and managed jointly by the concert hall and the observatory. The concert hall lobby was designed to suggest the sky at night with planets and stars. The Observatory also organized an accompanying exhibition of photographs and films about the universe and the planets. The goal was to encourage the townspeople to re-examine their relationship to the vast universe and to nurture the sense of “living together” on the Earth and sharing with others the beautiful experience of listening to music.

Kaminoyama Echo Hall in Yamagata prefecture took a completely different approach to the Total Experience project, aiming to synthesize Western classical music with Japanese aesthetics. They did this by creating a traditional Japanese tearoom in the lobby leading to the concert hall and by presenting a typically Japanese concept of hospitality to all visitors. With home-made bamboo vases and with photographs on the walls, they succeeded in creating a relaxing and somewhat nostalgic atmosphere in an otherwise rather cold and impersonal concert hall.

After each recital a tea – or juice - party was held for the promoters, the volunteers and the performers, an opportunity for all involved to meet and talk informally. One volunteer said, “What I was most pleased about in joining this volunteer group is that I was able to meet and talk to people of different ages and occupations and I enjoyed working with them.” Another said, “It is a real pity that all our work and fun will end with Midori’s recital. Everyone is saying that we should all meet together and start something new after this.”

Mr. Ida of the Kyoto Chutan Cultural Hall said, “In the beginning, the volunteer staff and the Hall staff did not know each other at all and it was difficult to communicate with one another. … However more positive and challenging voices increased with the number of meetings and I could sense that the mood of the staff was gradually changing. The Hall staff, myself included, now believe that a similar method of event planning should be adopted from now on, where there are opportunities for people to join forces and work together.”

Cullan Bryant, who accompanied Midori in the Total Experience recitals, kept a journal during the tour. In one entry he wrote, “The spirit of the theme of this tour comes alive in the concert hall: The lobby has been lined with photographs of local foliage, flowers, and insects made by a local staff person, and each has been beautifully framed with large easel-like bamboo frames. The staff here collected all of the bamboo from surrounding forest and hand-crafted it. As well, there are floor lamps of bamboo with shades made of fine paper. People are all embracing the idea of active participation in the artistic process.”

In Midori’s own words, “All the staff members were as excited as I was as we watched this simple concept develop into an experience that made an impact on each participant. Every day there was something new to be understood or solved but the challenges were stimulating and with all the participants so motivated to work things out in the best possible way, the entire period was incredibly invigorating. Despite the fact that there were fourteen concerts in sixteen days in thirteen different venues, despite having to get up at 6:30 a.m., having gone to bed at 2:00 a.m., miraculously this did not seem to take a toll. I loved every minute of it. In fact, the Total Experience tour was one of the most exciting and energizing sixteen days of my professional life.”