Performance in "Final Concert" at 59th Midwest Clinic Date:11:15a.m., Saturday, December 17, 2005 Venue： International Ball Room, Hilton Chicago Turnout：2,500 people Conductor: Takeya Sakai Guest Conductor: Ray E. Cramer Guest Soloists: Shoichiro Hokazono, Euphonium Eric Miyashiro, Trumpet On December 17, 2005, the Yamaha Symphonic Band played an important role of concluding the Midwest Clinic held at the Hilton Chicago, U.S.A. by performing in the final concert. Approximately 14,000 participants including band clinicians and music lovers had to wait in a long line for hours to secure their seats in the auditorium. Their efforts paid off. The curtain was raised by “Band Wagon”, a lively march. “Medosera 2” commissioned by the band that followed received a standing ovation from the entire auditorium. Such a scene was repeated several times throughout the concert. The audience were experts who had many opportunities to listen to various bands of the world. They all seemed captivated by the Yamaha Symphonic Band’s refined and virtuosic performance. The concert was a combination of two kinds of different repertoire, classical band works that demonstrated the band’s ability and popular music for the amusement of the audience. Takeya Sakai, an excellent conductor and two talented guest soloists (Shoichiro Hokazono, euphonium and Eric Miyashiro, trumpet) accelerated the excitement of the audience. The band performed “Yagi-bushi” as an encore wearing Yamaha happi coat uniform, that brought about a big applause. Earlier in the morning, some members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra were attentively listening to the band’s rehearsal and they were seen again during the concert in the front row. They were Eugene Pokorny (principal tuba), Christopher Martin (principal trumpet), John Hagstrom (trumpet), John Bruce Yeh (assistant principal clarinet) and his wife, who took turns to praise and cheer the band members. At the after-concert reception hosted by Yamaha, many internationally distinguished people of the band music world assembled along with Yamaha employees from Wind & Percussion Instruments Division in US and Canada. Norio Akiyama who represents the Japanese band music world and who had heard the Yamaha Symphonic Band in many occasions claimed that it was the most touching performance ever and that the band received the biggest applause among many Japanese ensembles that had participated in the convention. Karel Husa, a universally known composer, was among others who were equally impressed Band members in lobby of Hilton Chicago, concert venue Concert at Hilton Chicago Concert Hall packed with 2,500 people Performance of “Yagi-bushi” Rehearsal at Highland Park High School on December 15 and 16 Rehearsal with Ray E. Cramer, conductor at high school music hall Eric Miyashiro and band member in front of sign welcoming Yamaha Symphonic Band

	Trombone section lessons with Thomas Horch Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Venue: Yamaha Symphonic Band Rehearsal Room
	Mr. Horch is solo trombonist for one of Germany's leading orchestras, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. When he visited the Toyooka wind instrument factory in Iwata city as a Yamaha artist, we invited him to give a lesson to the Yamaha Symphonic Band trombone section. Five members of the band received two hours of instruction which centered around Haydn's "The Creation". Mr. Horch also played with the section giving them a first-hand experience of top level German-style trombone playing. Mr. Horch and his interpreter from Yamaha, Mr.Tomita.     From left, Takashi Kamiya, Shingo Fujiwara, Erika Uchida, Thomas Horch, Mihoko Mabuchi, and Satoshi Nakatsugawa
	Camp training Date: October 15, 16, 2005 Venue: Yamaha resort “Tsumagoi” (Tamari 2000, Kakegawa city)
	Over the weekend of the fifteenth and sixteenth of October, the Yamaha symphonic band welcomed 9 noted teachers in the natural surroundings of the Yamaha resort “Tsumagoi” (Tamari 2000, Kakegawa city) for lessons on ensemble and concert performance. On the first day, each teacher gave basic lessons on to each section of the band, and gave instruction on the piece the band is to record (“ Souten no shizuku ”, composed by Jun Nagao). Following dinner, the teachers gave lectures centered on the upcoming recording. Once the lectures were over, the band members checked into the hotel and separated into their various sections to spend some informal time with their teachers, a chance that everyone had been looking forward to. At 9 am on the morning of the next day each section received individual teaching, and from 10am the band gathered for ensemble coaching on the pieces they plan to perform at the Chicago Midwest Band Clinic on December 17. This was followed in the afternoon by more ensemble coaching for another upcoming recording, “La saison lumineuse”, also composed by Jun Nagao. The invaluable advice from teachers who attended and sample performances made for a very productive two days. "Tsumagoi" music garden Percussion section Teacher: Keiko Otsuka Horn section Teacher: Maro Abe Saxophone section Teacher: Shiro Hatae Trombone section Teacher: Takahiro Ono Clarinet section Teacher: Kazuo Fujii Oboe/Bassoon section Teacher: Takeya Sakai Tuba/Euphonium section Teacher: Akimasa Fujita Flute section Teacher: Chiharu Tachibana Trumpet section Receiving advice from teacher Naoki Suzuki Performing Performing On the series by Mr.Nagao a commentary by Takeya Sakai My first impression on seeing these wonderful compositions was that they would be very difficult to play. However, as I read the scores in more depth and we began practicing, it was apparent to all of the band members, myself included, that the pieces presented an interesting challenge. "Wavetops" has a youthful, almost "American" feel to it. "Souten no Shizuku" uses a dynamic scale, "Fluttering Maple Leaves" offers an inspired view of the world with its beautiful melody. Finally, "La saison lumineuse" lends a feeling of seasonality to the series by linking each movement together. I've tried to sum up the series in brief here, but the pieces are put together with such depth that such brevity is almost presumptuous. The one quality they do share is an unforgettable melody that stays with you for a long time. We in the symphonic band will do all we can to make a recording of these wonderful melodies that will stay linger in the minds of a great many people.
	Recording a series by Jun Nagao Program: 1. "Wavetops" (Recording completed on September 19) 2. "Soten no Shizuku" (Recording scheduled for October 29) 3. "La saison lumineuse" (Recording scheduled for October 30) 4. "Fluttering Maple Leaves" (Recording completed on September 18) Conductor: Takeya Sakai Recording: Brain Co. Ltd (Engineer: Shunichi Ogai) Venue: Yuto-cho Culture Center The symphonic band began a four-day recording session after a long hiatus from the recording studio. Takeya Sakai conducted "Fluttering Maple Leaves" on September 18 and "Wavetops" on September 19, two pieces of a four part series Mr. Jun Nagao has been composing for us over the past four years. The two days we spent recording each twenty-minute piece passed in a flash. With Shunichi Ogai as the recording engineer for the project and Mr. Nagao doing us the favor of being present of the day of recording, the end results were excellent. The contribution made by Mr. Sakai, our conductor, is also impossible to overlook. We plan to record two more pieces in October and release the recordings on December 10. Composer Nagao meets with the Ms. Shinjou, the band's pianist. Recording scene Recording scene From left, Mr. Ogai (Engineer), Mr. Sakai (Conductor), Ms. Yamazato (Assistant), Mr.Nagao (Composer)
	78th National Intercity Nonpro Baseball Championship Series (Yamaha vs Honda (Match 3)) Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 18:00 Venue: Tokyo Dome Hoping for a victory for Yamaha, the 60 members of the Yamaha Symphonic Band (including some ex-members of the band) rushed to Tokyo Dome to cheer their team on. The prospect of a match with reigning champions Honda had tension at its peak.The band played a succession of rhythmic tunes such as “Overdrive” and “Ultrasoul” one after the other, matching the movements of the cheerleaders. The band played almost constantly whenever Yamaha went on the offensive, with Naoki Suzuki and Takeya Sakai joining in on trumpet and sax on the spur of the moment. We were also lucky enough to have composer Jun Nagao there to encourage us. Unfortunately, victory slipped away from Yamaha's grasp, but we think we did a good good of cheering the team on. The entrance to Tokyo dome Conductor Takeya Sakai joins in (third from right) The Yamaha Symphonic Band Leading the cheering with bugles Playing along with the Cheerleaders
	The daytime segment of the 22nd annual concert with the Shiroishi Senior High School Symphonic Band in Sappor Date: Sunday, June 5, 2005 Doors open: 13:30pm Performance begins: 14:00 pm Guest: Yamaha Symphonic Band Venue: Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara Great Hall Attendance: 2,000 people (full house) The Kitara hall is a wonderful environment to perform, located as it is in Sapporo's Nakajima park. A modern building equipped with the latest in acoustic technology, this is a venue anyone would want to perform in. The weather on the day of the performance was fine, and the long line of people waiting for the opening almost filled the park to capacity. Shirashi senior high school students were to perform the first section of the concert, and the Yamaha Symphonic Band the second. Enthusiasm was running high, since they were to play to a full house of 2,000 people. The Symphonic Band performed “Saiwai no Ryu” a composition by Jun Nagao which they debuted at their annual concert in 2005, and “Swing Mozart”, by W.A. Mozart. The Sapporo Shiroishi Senior High School Symphonic Band Annual Performance Program As an encore, they played “The theme to Lupin the 3rd,” conducted by Mr.Shibukawa, the conductor of the Shirashi Senior High School band. The hall echoed with the enthusiastic applause of the Sapporo audience. Shiroishi high school returned to the stage for the 3rd section, for an enjoyable performance together. The concert in the Kitara great hall Yamaha Symphonic Band Asahikawa Special Concert Date: Saturday, June 4, 2005 Doors open: 18.00 Performance begins: 18:30 Conductor: Tetsuya Kawahara (Principal Conductor) Guest: Chiharu Tachibana (Flutist) Venue: Asahikawa city Taisetsu Crystal Hall Concert Hal Attendance: 700 people (full house) After the parade, the band played a special concert in the Taisetsu Crystal Hall behind the Asahikawa station. The Yamaha Symphonic Band Asahikawa Special Concert program The first item on the program was “Saiwai no Ryu”, a piece commissioned for the band in 2005, following which the special guest for the evening, flutist Chiharu Tachibana joined the band on stage for the first movement of A.I Khachaturyan's flute concerto. Their mastery of this piece appeared to please the people of Asahikawa city. Originally a concerto for the violin, this arrangement for the flute is renowned for its difficulty. For the second part of the performance, the band treated the audience to enjoyable renditions of “Swing Mozart” and “New South Wales” After the concert finished, the band members left for Sapporo, bidding farewell to the citizens of Asahikawa. Flute performance (Guest: Chiharu Tachibana) The 73rd Hokkaido Great Music Parade Date: Saturday June 4, 2005 Venue: Downtown Asahikawa (Asahikawa Shiyakusho-mae dori) Opening ceremony: 12:00 Parade start: 13:00 Participants: 86 groups (3,900 people) Guest: Yamaha Symphonic Band This marching parade held in the bloom of Asahikawa's early summer gathers musicians together with the aim of promoting regional development and a sound appreciation of aesthetics in local youth. The Yamaha Symphonic Band was attending the Hokkaido Great Music Parade in Asahikawa for the first time in fifteen years, as one of 83 participating groups, ranging from junior through to municipal bands, for a total of 3,900 attendees. The rain which had been threatening lifted for the parade, and the citizens of Asahikawa city thronged the roadsides. The Yamaha Symphonic Band gave a standing performance of Brazilian songs at the opening ceremony, with Aiko Tomomi from Studio 113 twirling the baton, to a huge round of applause from those watching. After the opening song, they moved on to the parade lead by Ms. Tomomi, watched by 150,000 fascinated spectators. 3,900 participants line up Baton twirling and symphonic bands The Yamaha Symphonic Band The 45th anniversary of the Yamaha Symphonic Band The 40th annual anniversary concert Date: Saturday, May 28, 2005 Venue: Act City Hamamatsu Great Hall Doors open 17:00 Start: 18:00 Conductor: Tetsuya Kawahara (Principal Conductor) Guest: Shigenori Kudo (Flutist) The Yamaha Symphonic Band held its 40th annual anniversary concert, celebrating the 45th year since its formation. Some band members had been working for a year to plan and prepare appropriate material for the 40th anniversary concert, and knowing this, fans were lined up before the doors opened on the night of the concert in an atmosphere of pleasant anticipation. The first half began with the debut performance of “Sawai no Ryu”, a piece commissioned for the Yamaha Symphonic Band in 2005, and closed with Khachaturyan's “Flute Concerto”, which they performed with flutist Shigenori Kudo. In the second half they played ”La Mer, Three Symphonic Sketches”, by Debussy. “Sawai no Ryu” was the 5th piece the Symphonic Band had commissioned from Jun Nagao. As always, the band put their hearts and souls into each song. This was the first time for the Symphonic Band to play opposite a flutist at their annual concert,let alone an internationally active artist like Shigenori Kudo, whose amazing performance thrilled the crowd. “La Mer, Three Symphonic Sketches” which uses many unique instruments to create a resonant sound, drew enthusiastic applause from the 1,700 strong audience. For the encore, the band was joined by honorary conductor and former band member Motokichi Harada for a performance of “The Army of the Nile”, by K.J. Alford. Flute performance (Guest: Shigenori Kudo) Program from the 40th annual concert for the 45th Anniversary of the formation of the Symphonic Band 2005 JAPAN BAND CLINIC Date: Friday, May 13, 2005 Venue: Act City Concert hall Conductor: Tetsuya Kawahara (Principal Conductor) Guest: Osamu Kumashiro (Trumpet Player) This year the JAPAN BAND CLINIC formerly held at Yamaha's “Nemu no Sato” resort was held in Hamamatsu for the first time. The Yamaha Symphonic Band performed at the opening concert on the first day of the clinic. They played 2 new songs, and the “Carnival de Venice” trumpet concerto, in honor of their special guest Osamu Kumashiro. While both of the new songs were fun, pops-style pieces, the “Carnival of Venice” with its demanding trumpet solo enthralled listeners. Teachers of the almost one thousand participants attended the performance. A scene from the performance at the JAPAN BAND CLINIC Hamamatsu Festival Parade Date: Wednesday May 4, 2005 Venue: Downtown Hamamatsu Performance begins: 17:00 Major: Tadashi Niimi The sun shone for the Hamamatsu Festival Concert Band parade, held for the first time in two years. 11 bands, with a total of 770 members, paraded through the streets of downtown Hamamatsu. 50 members of the Yamaha Symphonic band were third in line to start. The streets were lined with so many music fans that it was impossible to move, as Hamamatsu citizens mingled with the many tourists come to enjoy the event. The Hamamatsu Festival is held from May 3rd to May 5th.The people of Hamamatsu fight kites over the dunes of Nakatajima during the day, and parade 79 floats through the center of the city at night. Promenade Concert Date: Saturday April 23, 2005 Venue: Hamamatsu Station Entrance Performance begins: 16:30 Conductor: Shinji Katayama The Symphonic Band holds a promenade concert once a year, which the citizens of Hamamatsu enjoy very much. The fine weather meant the audience and the band were able to spend a delightful hour together. There were six songs in the program, including “Dream Wings”from the Wakafuji National Athletic Autumn meet held last year, and the enjoyable “Yuzo Kayama medley”. The promenade concert The band performing an encore of “The theme to Lupin the 3rd”
	Expo 2005 “Shizuoka Prefecture Special Day” performance Date: Wednesday April 20,2005 Venue: EXPO hall Performance begins: 10:00 Conductor:Tetsuya Kawahara The Yamaha Symphonic Band appeared at the Expo 2005 Aichi “Shizuoka Special Day” celebrations. Their performance centered on light pops, and was held in the EXPO hall. In response to a huge round of applause from the audience, the band closed the concert with an encore of ”Lupin the 3rd” The first 100 members of the audience to arrive were presented with “Thanks 10 Million” T Shirts. Yamaha is manufacturing its ten millionth (10,000,000th!) wind instrument in 2005, and this T-shirt is part of our thanks to all of you for helping us achieve this unprecedented milestone. The writing on the back is an ancient form of Japanese kanji. It says “kan-gakki”, which means “wind instruments.” Expo 2005 Aichi “Shizuoka Prefecture Special Day” Performing the Grand Opening theme “Mountain of Fuji” Expo 2005 Aichi “Shizuoka Prefecture Special; Day” Special concert performance.
	Tokai Symphonic Association 70th Anniversary Concert Date: Saturday March 26, 2005 Venue: Aichi Prefecture Labor Hall Curtain opened: 14:00 On Saturday March 26, a concert was held at the Aichi Prefecture Labor Hall to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the formation of the Tokai Symphonic Association. 10 members from the Brass section of the Yamaha Symphonic Band took part, giving a wonderful peformance. Most of the performers present were from the following organizations Gifu Prefectural Gifu Commercial Senior High School Suzuka Municipal Tamagaki Elementary School Nagano Clarinet Choir Yamaha Symphonic Band (10 member Brass group) Musical program: Three Brass Cats / Chris Hazell Nagoya Municipal Hagiyama Junior High School Anjo Academy Shizuoka University Tokai Symphonic Association 70th Anniversary Concert leaflet (left), and program (right)
	All Japan National Ensemble Contest 3rd consecutive year of participation. The band recieved a plaque to commemorate their 3rd consecutive year of participation in the “All Japan National Ensemble Contest”. The certificate and plaque commemorating 3 years consecutive participation in the All Japan National Ensemble Competition

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