NEWS
The 25th Anniversary Concert of the Mitaka Junior Orchestra
Update: September 30, 2024
On September 23rd, 2024, the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Mitaka Junior Orchestra was held at the ICU University Chapel, organized by the Mitaka City Sports and Culture Foundation, and co-hosted by the Sacred Music Center of International Christian University.
The Mitaka Junior Orchestra (MJO) was formed to create a place where children can enjoy playing ensemble music with vitality and it is one of the few junior orchestras in Japan with its hall and a rehearsal room as its home base and receives instruction from professional instructors. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the orchestra's formation, and a collaboration with ICU's pipe organ has been realized.
The program, which began with congratulatory speeches by Shoichiro Iwakiri, ICU President, and Takashi Kawamura, Mitaka City Mayor, included "Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani" performed by Megumi Tokuoka, ICU organist, and Shoichi Kubo, principal timpani player of the NHK Symphony Orchestra and MJO instructor, and eight other pieces.
The wonderful performances by the children, who had visited ICU many times for rehearsals, and the rare collaboration between the performers and the pipe organ impressed the full house of audience.
ICU will continue to hold cultural exchange events like this to deepen its ties with the local community and promote initiatives to strengthen ties with the community further.
From left: Takashi Kawamura, Mayor of Mitaka City, Karl Naito, the conductor, Shoichiro Iwakiri, ICU President