Dear Friends,
Greetings! I hope all of you are well and getting ready for the holiday season. Thanks to your support, we are pleased to report that our concerts last fall in Saitama and Osaka Japan were a great success! The one in my hometown of Osaka was personal. My mother, who is in her mid 80s, has lived in the same community for sixty years. One of the reasons she stays active and lives independently is because of the great support from this community. Will and I decided to bring the joy and happiness of music to them, and we delivered! The community space, which had no equipment for live music, was filled with many enthusiastic music lovers!! If you are curious about how it looked, please visit the following link. https://vivaceboston.org/archives/team-updates/2275/
Another BIG achievement was our recent video project, “Entre Noir et Blanc”. A few years ago, I received a commission and composed a piano solo piece. After being premiered, we made a recording. Shizuyo Le Nestour’s interpretation of “Entre Noir et Blanc” was beyond my expectation. Because it was well executed, I wanted to create a different medium for “Entre Noir et Blanc”, which was a collaboration between sound and image. Will Silvio’s black and white photos were perfect. However, the limited numbers of photos did not provide enough to cover over thirteen minutes of music! After exchanging many thoughts and ideas with our editor, we finally completed this video project in late August. Please visit the following link. https://vivaceboston.org/archives/team-updates/2554/
<< EXCITING NEWS FROM VIVACE >>
1) WE HAVE THE DATE FOR THE FIRST CONCERT AT
THE KAJI ASO STUDIO
When & What Time:
Sunday, May 24, 2026 @3:00PM
Performers:
Tomoko Isshiki, narration
Atsuko Jozaki, piano
The main program is “Adventures of John Manjiro” for narration and piano, and here is the reason why – May 7 becomes “Japan Day” in Massachusetts, based on the historical arrival of John Manjiro in 1843. The official designation was made in 2025, and the executive director of the Kaji Aso Studio and I decided to present this piece in May!
The Kaji Aso Studio has been the center of Japanese culture in the city of Boston for more than fifty years.
2) Our calendar project for 2026 was created in two different designs! One of them is based on Will’s nature photos as it was very popular last year, and the other is our famous cat calendar! It is a wall calendar (about 17″ x 11″ when it is open). I have attached one of the photos here. Those calendars surely make your everyday brighter! Please let us know if you are interested.
3) Though we did not have a concert this year, we produced our new video project “Entre Noir et Blanc” which has reached many people around the world. In 2026, besides the event at the Kaji Aso Studio in May, we will start crafting ideas to celebrate our Steinway’s 100th year anniversary! We have many interesting ideas, such as solos, duets, new compositions for “her”…Well, anything to make “HER” shine! We also plan to bring back “Talents Around Us” series – spotlight on piano technicians. Their knowledge and skills are so amazing!
Thank you so very much for your continued kindness and generosity. We look forward to presenting joyful events in 2026. Happy Holidays!
Warmest Regards,
Vivace, Inc.
Yoko Nakatani