2016OMF Newsletter Vol.14
OMF Opera Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges rehearsal started!
OMF Opera Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges by Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra rehearsal has started at Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre. Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges performed at 2013SKF has this year in February won the 58th Grammy award for Best Opera Recording. At 2016OMF, the same opera piece will be performed by Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra under the baton of Eric Melear and direction of David Kneuss. Marie Lenormand, Anna Christy, Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, OMF Chorus and OMF Children's Chorus who starred in 2013SKF opera performances have started rehearsing with Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra from late August. Tickets for this year performances scheduled for Sep 6 (Tue) & 9 (Fri) are available for purchase at Ticket Pia Website and Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre. We invite you all to come and join us to enjoy this internationally rarely performed opera in Matsumoto.
© Takeshi Yamada2016OMF OMF Gig closed in a hail of applause!
Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival Gig took place on Aug 28 (Sun) at Kissei Bunka Hall in Matsumoto. The concert closed with a full-house audience sending a hail of applause to OMF Director Seiji Ozawa, conductor Toshiaki Murakami, Saito Kinen Orchestra and Marcus Roberts Trio. The Gig, initiated in year 2013 with an aim to further explore the fusion of classical music and jazz, has this year started with Toshiaki Murakami conducting Prokofiev: Excerpts from the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" with SKO. The concert continued with a very well know to Matsumoto audiences jazz trio - Marcus Roberts Trio performing What is this thing called Love? and their original piece Cole after Midnight. The final program of the first half was the world premiere performance of new piece by Marcus Roberts Rhapsody in D. Toshiaki Murakami, SKO and Marcus Roberts Trio performed this commissioned work which took Marcus Roberts nearly 2 years to complete, by full house audience sending them a big round of applause. After Ibert: Divertissement pour orchestre de chambre, SKO and Marcus Roberts Trio performed Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue under Seiji Ozawa's baton to close this year's OMF Gig. This was also the final public performance of Seiji Ozawa and SKO at this year's OMF. The concert closed with the volunteer staff coming up to the stage to hand bouquet of beautiful Gentian. We express our sincere thanks to all the guests who visited us in Matsumoto, and especially to all the volunteer staff without whose support these concerts wouldn't be possible.
SKO performed at Concert for Children the first time in 10 years!
On Aug 31 (Wed), this year's educational program Concert for Children has taken place at Matsumoto City General Gymnasium by welcoming 10,103 elementary school children from Nagano prefecture. OMF Director Seiji Ozawa, Saito Kinen Orchestra and Marcus Roberts Trio joint the program to enjoy the music with children. The Concert for Children, which is held at the festival every year since its establishment in 1992 with an aim to bring the classical music closer to the youth, has this year been held for the first time in 10 years with SKO performing at Matsumoto City General Gymnasium. After SKO members performed short pieces to introduce the sound of instruments, Seiji Ozawa, SKO and Marcus Roberts Trio performed Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. The concert closed in a choir with the children singing together Japanese school song Furusato - Hometown. The next educational program Opera for Children is scheduled for Sep 7 (Wed) & 8 (Thu). The OMF will be welcoming junior high school students from Nagano prefecture to enjoy OMF Opera Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges by Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra.
Cozy & Special "Demae" concerts in Nagano
Cozy & Special "Demae" concerts performed by SKO members in places such as hospitals, homes for elderly and institutions for disabled have taken place on Aug 29 (Mon). "Demae" is the Japanese word for meal delivery – these concerts are designed to deliver the joy of the music to those music lovers who are otherwise unable to attend the concerts. This year 2 groups visited the institutions for disabled Moo, Ryoiku Center Raifu Mirai in Matsumoto, Shinonoi General Hospital in Nagano, and Iida Municipal Hospital. Violinist Sayaka Kinoshiro, Mai Tategami, viola player Masahiro Chihara, cellist Ichiro Hasebe made a visit to Moo and Iida Municipal Hospital to perform Elger: Salut d'amour and theme song from My Neighbour Totoro. Violinist Keiko Kagesawa, Asuka Yano, viola player Kasumi Matsuyama and cellist Rei Tsujimoto performed Mozart: String Quartet No.17 and Japanese popular song Yagibushi at Mirai and Shinonoi General Hospital. In Matsumoto at regular Shibafu (Lawn) concert held at the lawn of Kissei Bunka Hall the audience was welcomed by french horn quartet Maro Abe, Yasushi Katsumata, Koharu Tajima and Asako Yamamoto attracting more than 400 audience including many parents with children.
Over 1300 visitors at Grammy Special Exhibition
The 2013SKF Opera Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges Grammy winning Special Exhibition closed on Aug 26 (Fri) welcoming more than 1300 visitors at Matsumoto City Museum of Art. The exhibition, which started on Aug 22 - the second performance day of 2016OMF Orchestra Concert Program A, attracted the visitors from far places such as Nagoya and Fukuoka. Along with the Grammy trophy which was exhibited for the first time to public, 50 pieces of on-stage and backstage photos, special footage and certificates for SKO, SKO Matsumoto Chorus, and SKO Matsumoto Children's Chorus were exhibited. Ex-chorus group members who performed at 2013SKF and audience who came to see the show in 2013 also visited and shared their reminiscences.
OMF Newsletter Contact
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Email: omfnews@ozawa-festival.com
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