Haruka Shoji: Creating a City of Music

2022/06/16

I was born and raised in Sendai. Along with life itself, music was what my parents gave me. However, I was no child prodigy; it was only in high school that I finally realized I truly, passionately loved music. Later, I entered the Major in Aesthetics and Art History to study musicology. The Tokyo metropolitan area was filled with overwhelming stimulation, gathering music, art, traditional performing arts, and cultures from around the world—more than enough to quench the thirst I felt upon realizing my passion.

In regional cities, famous people who can draw a crowd are invited, and programs tend to prioritize well-known pieces. In other words, content that someone has already deemed "good" and is guaranteed to sell well is automatically supplied... I still struggle with this dilemma today.

I often compare the ideal state of music projects in regional cities to a "museum with a good permanent collection." Invited projects are important in the sense that they bring buzz, new things, and masterpieces, famous songs, and great performances that one should experience once in a lifetime to the city. On the other hand, I want to create an environment where people can always encounter works they love, hear good music regardless of whether it is famous or not, and find things that move them.

Currently, I am involved in planning and production for the "Sendai Classical Music Festival" and the chamber music project "Music from PaToNa" at the Miyagino Ward Cultural Center. With the help of enthusiastic performers gathered in cosmopolitan regional orchestras and local musicians active both at home and abroad, I am working to create a time and place where musicians and audiences can truly engage with music. Eventually, the audience begins to feel a sense of pride, believing that they are supporting and nurturing the performers. It is only with such an audience that performers can take on challenging programs. I am increasing opportunities to appreciate music more deeply, such as holding seminars to assist with appreciation before performances and sharing commentaries. I want to create a place where people can encounter rich musical content 365 days a year, not just during the few days of invited events. Using that as a starting point, I am working daily with musicians, using creativity to find more effective ways to present their work.

Sendai calls itself a "City of Music," but what makes it so? Good halls are important, of course, but it must also be a place with a good audience and a place where good musicians want to gather. I am striving to increase the number of places in this city where they can quench their thirst for the music they love and where they can choose what they like based on their own sensibilities.