From 24 to 30 June 2019, 12 YST students attended the Chofu International Music Festival held in Japan. Led by Festival Director Masato Suzuki, the festival orchestra brought together professional musicians from top Japanese orchestras such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, student musicians from Japanese high schools and conservatories, as well as YST students to play under the batons of conductors Masaaki Suzuki and Simone Menezes.
Festival participants attended four hours of orchestra rehearsals and group sectionals daily and received meticulous instruction during sectionals from the Japanese professional musicians, preparing and finally performing a programme comprising Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony, J.S. Bach’s Sinfonia 42, Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 and Arthur Honegger’s Rugby (Mouvement symphonique No. 2 H.67). In addition, a string quartet from among the YST students also played Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7 in F major Op. 59 No. 1.
On his experience, Danish bin Mubin (BMus Year 3, Viola) shared, “One of the most important lessons I learned was that good ensemble playing is possible regardless of individual differences in technical ability, if everyone is musically sensitive towards each other. Even though the orchestra members all came from a range of backgrounds, we were united by a common objective: to give our audience the best musical experience. For me, this sensation is priceless and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to feel it.”
Natalie Koh (BMus Year 4, Violin) said, “I was initially worried that we would not have enough rehearsal time to prepare this heavy orchestral programme. But I was thoroughly inspired and motivated by the high calibre of orchestra playing and working side-by-side with the professional musicians was unforgettable. We also had a fulfilling experience learning about Japanese culture as most of us stayed with Japanese host families and we got to make friends with other Japanese students in the festival orchestra!”
Banner image: YST students with maestros Simone Menezes, Masaaki Suzuki and Masato Suzuki.
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