Soma Children's Orchestra and Chorus

At the 10th El Sistema Children's Music Festival in Soma to be held next March , the children's orchestra is going to take on an unprecedented challenge : performing a symphony. 

The children's orchestra has performed film music and suites with everyone from the early elementary school age, but they had not yet accomplished a symphony performance with all the members. For the 10th music festival, all the members, consisting of approximately 60 children from elementary school, playing strings, winds, and percussion, will finally take on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7!

For younger children, simplified sheet music for the finale has been prepared for strings, winds, and percussion for the last movement only, but Mao will play the violin in all four movements using the regular sheet music as the youngest who is only fourth grade.

Mao was so happy to receive her first symphony sheet music that she had beautifully bound it the week after we handed it out. She was very creative in writing down the title of the piece, and she also wrote down her goals and things to keep in mind.

Last October, under the conduct of Mr. Kimoto, they practiced the first half of the fourth movement in a string ensemble. They were able to feel the mood of the whole music even though no one could keep up with the conductor's tempo at some moment. According to him, it was the "actual performance tempo." And Mao said, "It was fun!"

Extras

Mao, who is very skilled with her hands, made miniature hamburgers and other food items, which she gave as gifts to the teachers. They looked adorable when lined up!