Archive - Open Lesson Concerts

The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation held the “7th High School Wind Ensemble Open Lesson Concert. Conductor/Instructor: Yukio Kitahara” at Amashin Archaic Hall on November 5, 2023 (Sun).

In this project, members of junior and senior high school wind ensembles learn from a world-renowned conductor how to create music with a wide range of musicality and expressiveness by reading the implications hidden in the sheet music, such as the historical background in which the piece was written and the composer's intentions and sentiments, rather than playing the piece according to the score.

This year, we welcomed the world-famous conductor Yukio Kitahara who is active inside and outside of Japan, especially in Germany. The concert featured music by Julius Fučík and Maurice Ravel, two of Europe’s most famous composers. As usual, the program began with a lesson from Maestro Kitahara for the students, followed by a performance of the pieces. This year, members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras participated in both the lesson and the performance for support, giving the students detailed explanations and guidance on what the maestro was looking for in terms of performance and expression methods.

During the lesson, the students listened attentively to Maestro Kitahara’s instructions so as not to miss a single word of his explanations about the background of the pieces and how to play them.

Maestro Kitahara's lesson felt bright and accessible, but at the same time full of passion for music, and this passionate lesson touched the students' hearts. Although the concert was a joint performance by three schools, the performance was so rich in expression that it became clear from the sound that the students had become one through music. At the end of the concert, the members of the Sosei Senior High School wind ensemble performed an encore, and the concert ended with a great round of applause. After the concert, the maestro shook hands with the students, giving them a sense of accomplishment.
In the questionnaire responses from the audience, we received many comments such as, “I was impressed by the lively performance. It was as if the music was brought to life by Maestro Kitahara's instruction,” as well as requests to continue the event next year and beyond. One student who took the lesson said the lesson had helped them improve: “Before the lesson, my performance lacked excitement, but after the lesson, I was able to give a very lively performance, by which I was really amazed”.

Date & Time: November 5, 2023 (Sun) Start: 2 pm (Admission from 1 pm)

Venue: Amashin Archaic Hall (Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture)

Performed by: Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki Kita Senior High School
Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki Nishi Senior High School
Hyogo Prefectural Mukonoso Comprehensive High School
Amagasaki Municipal Amagasaki Sosei Senior High School
Members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra et al. (for support)

Program:

Part 1

Composer: Julius Fučík
Piece: The Florentiner March

Part 2

Composer: Maurice Ravel
Piece: Spanish Rhapsody