Organizing concerts for young promising pianists is one of the major projects of PTNA; concerts to commemorate prize winners of PTNA piano competition, special concerts to encourage life long learners at PTNA Piano STEP, are some examples.

In the past few years, the growing interest of 'music in the society' concept brought musicians outside of halls and go to towns and schools. In 2005, PTNA started the school concert project, and pianists and other instrumentalists have been dispatched to local public schools. The number of pupils involved has already reached 35,000 in the last five years. In 2007, Marunouchi weekly concert project was started and pianists from PTNA are often chosen to play in the public buildling which situated in the middle of Tokyo. In 2010, the recording concert series was inaugurated which aims at recording, filming and sharing the music at the online library 'PTNA Piano Encyclopedia' and PTNA youtube channel. These projects are derived from the priciple that pianists should be connected to society by playing in public.

Culture creates city, indeed. Seikoh Fukuda (Secretary and CEO of PTNA, president of To-on Kikaku co.) has an aim to make beneficial collaboration with music and society; music could uplift spirit of people as well as to enrich values of things around us. And he hit upon an idea to put music in the public spaces where millions of people gather, that is 'building'. Since then Marunouchi Buildling has been at the top of his list. Marunouchi area is situated between Tokyo station and Imperial palace, and this symbolic architecture, run by Mitsubishi Estate Co.,Ltd, is known to be one of the bases of new cultural / commercial trends. His idea was delivered through Agency for Cultural Affairs, and in the end of 2005, he took a first step in the building by participating in planning and organizing a choral concert of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This concert caught a big attention and was also commercially successful.

In the following year, the weekly piano concert series 'Marunouchi 35' (35F) was launched, which has been continued until now. Tomoyo UMEMURA, the grand prize winner of PTNA Piano Competition 2010 (VTR), has also played several times there. This series has steadily gained reputation and popularity, and opportunities expanded to similar projects in neighboring buildlings as well as special events like "La Folle Journee au Japon" area concerts.

Music and art has high value and power. Fukuda, as a corporate manager, never hesitates to address that musical pursuit and economical success are compatible. He is making efforts to produce as many performance opportunities for pianists, and to bring as much excitements to audience, while paying as much corporate tax as possible. And that is the evidence of independence and the contribution to society, he notes. "Music could connect people to people, country to country. I believe that music could be a huge power to build up healthy and fruitful relationships with other countries, and that might signify the maturity of our own country." 

*Seikoh Fukuda talks about culture and city "Relationship between Marunouchi and Music" (interviewed by Marunouchi.com)