Two months has passed since the huge earthquake hit the coastline of Northeast Japan on March 11th. Everyone was astonished with the overwhelming power of nature, as well as the fragility of human beings and the things that human have created. Historically, many musicians in the world gave charity concerts in the face of such disasters, like Franz Liszt and Gustav Mahler who commemorate bicentennial birth anniversary and centennial of his death this year. Now a lot of musicians across the world do whatever they could do to help this situation, and people in Japan wholeheartedly appreciate those generosities. The following reports introduce several charitable activities by Japanese musicians through the platform of PTNA.

 

A Concert at a refuge shelter (Iwaki)

A local piano teacher who suffered from the earthquake, decided to organize a concert in a refuge shelter. Mrs.Yuko HOSOBUCHI has lived in Iwaki (Fukushima) for 20 years and established PTNA Iwaki Station in 2005. The disaster came to her all of a sudden when the M9.0 earthquake occurred and successive tsunami hit the coastline just 5 km away from her house. "It was during the lesson when I felt a huge tremor and saw two grand pianos jumping. I rushed out and sit on my knees down in front of my house during 30min. I saw two cracks on the ground before my eyes and smoke coming up from the mountain yonder, then heard a heavy dull sound afar. Later I realized it was tsunami. When I got back to the lesson room, pianos were moved 15cm. I've never experienced such a horror in my life..!" she recalled.

From that day, several public schools nearby were filled with people evacuated from the areas close to the Fukushima nuclear power plants. People in Iwaki also stayed in their houses going nowhere. Beautiful town seemed to become deserted.

But, she was not at all despaired. She decided to revitalize the beloved town through music and proposed a piano concert in one of those refuge shelters. She tried to make phone calls to shelters, mainly local public schools, and one place accepted her proposal.

On May 21st, the concert was held in the Chuodai Minami elementary school. Ayumi Iga and Masatoshi Yamaguchi, pianists who were eager to play for evacuees, visited the shelter and touched the piano that had not been played for a while. The program was mainly romantic pieces; Chopin, Schumann, Liszt (solo&duo), and a Japanese traditional song "Furusato" at the end of the program. Simple and melancholic sound that conveys eternal affection to the home town, penetrated the hearts of audience.

After the concert, Mrs.Hosobuchi drove us to the coastal area called Onahama. Swept away by tsunami, 800 people were dead or missing. Buildings were demolished, trades in the fish markets have been stopped since that day. The severe reality is still there. But the roads are already cleaned up and automobiles are running as usual.

"Now", she said determinately, "people are coming back to our town. I am very pleased to see it. I will continue my musical activities together with our local network here!"

 

Donation Concert Series (Tokyo)

  PTNA charity concert series, 14 concerts in April-May, are dedicated to people/areas suffering from the earthquake and the successive tsunami. PTNA lends To-on Hall for free of charge between April 13th and May 22nd, to help pianists give charity concerts. 14 slots are immediately filled with the applicants after the public announcement. Every concert was full of audience, and the admission fees and donations were entirely contributed to NPOs/institutions/funds at their own choice. The total amount of the donation reached 2,224,877yen.

 

Public Recording Concert (Tokyo)

Akiko EBI, renowned pianist, scheduled to appear in a PTNA public recording concert on April 22nd, which was finally turned out to be a charity concert upon her request. The admission fees and donations were all given to the Japanese Red Cross Society. She has also appeared in several charity concerts in Paris and Brussels together with Martha Argerich, etc.

 

Donations/Contributions by PTNA members

PTNA members/ branches/stations/committees are independently giving donations. Some were contributed to an NPO that provides pianos to the people who lost them, or to the fund that offers financial support to musicians who go to play music at the sites of disaster. The committee of the latter is chaired by Seikoh Fukuda, CEO of PTNA.
The total amount of donations has reached 2,951,588yen (as of May 27th), and still coming.

 

Initiatives of young pianists

Young people are also taking initiatives to the charitable activities. On June 19th, a charity concert will be held in Tokyo where 19 young pianists will perform. Rieko NEZU (finalist of 2005 Chopin International Competition), Yuma OSAKI (3rd of 2003 Leeds International Competition) are among them. =>program

In July, Masataka GOTO, the 1st prize winner of 2011 Liszt International Piano Competition will appear in the special concert at his alma mater, Showa Academia Musicae. All the fees and donations of these two concerts will be given to Japanese Red Cross Society.

 

Teachers Introduction Service for evacuees

PTNA calls for teachers who are willing to provide free lessons or practicing rooms for evacuated people. Among those registered at PTNA Teachers Introduction Service, 129 piano teachers across Japan have already raised their hands (as of May 30th), and 4 of them were introduced to evacuated students in Fukushima to take their lessons temporarily.