2023.6.2 The World Federation Of International Music Competitions, Showcase
The General Assembly of World Federation of International Music Competitions（WFIMC）was held in Hamamatsu, the venue of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, from 2 to 3 June.
The World Federation of International Music Competitions has more than 120 member international music competitions, including the International Chopin Piano Competition, the Queen Elisabeth Competition and other world-renowned international music competitions. In addition to the directors-general of the international competitions, five world-renowned piano manufacturers, including Yamaha and Kawai, also gathered for the first time to take part in panel discussions.
I came to Hamamatsu this time to perform for the General Assembly participants, but I was nervous long before, as I was performing in front of some of the world’s top music professionals.
A welcome reception was held the day before. This was the first time the quartet performed together with the Quartet Integra, who won second prize in the string quartet category at the ARD Munich International Music Competition last year.
It has been a long time since I met the family of Florian Reim, Secretary General of the Federation, who was previously the director of the Tongyeong International Music Festival and made possible the Asian première of Toshio Hosokawa’s opera “Futari Shizuka – The Maiden from the Sea” in 2019. I am very grateful to be asked to work with him again.
Also reunited with President, Peter Paul Kainrath. He is also director of Klangforum Wien.
The World Federation of International Music Competitions, 67th General Assembly 2023
Noh Showcase
2 June 2023 ACTCITY Hamamatsu Music Studio Hall
Federico Gardella (1979-) “Voice of Wind” for Noh voice and bass flute (2011)
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) “A way a lone” for string quartet (1981)
Noriko Baba (1972-) “hagoromo suite” for Noh voice and string quartet (2017)
Ryoko Aoki (Noh singer) Kazushi Saito (Flute) Quartet Integra
The performance went very well. I was relieved that audience liked it very much.
After the concert, we had a banquet at a private izakaya, despite the heavy rain. With Noriko Ogawa, Chairperson of the Jury for the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, host of this General Assembly.
Hamamatsu Gyoza! We enjoyed many Hamamatsu specialities!
The day after the heavy rain was fine, but I could not take the Shinkansen train right away, so I enjoyed sightseeing, including Hamamatsu Castle. Hamamatsu was a wonderful city. I want to come back again.
My interview appeared on WFIMC News. You can read it online and see the digest of the performance in Hamamatsu.
WFIMC News : 25 July 2023 “Encounters with an ancient Japanese Ghost”