Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School ──Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School's Hidden Big Event: Petit Concert──

At Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School, the Petit Concert (commonly known as "Petit Con") is held every year after school on a Saturday during the second semester. This concert is an event open to any student from the 1st year (7th grade) to the 6th year (12th grade) who loves classical music, regardless of their club affiliation. Participants are selected through auditions held in the first semester. In the auditions, teachers well-versed in music conduct a strict screening, and every year, talented performers who have won through fierce competition take the Petit Con stage. From piano solos to solos and ensembles with wind and string instruments, and even vocal performances, a truly diverse range of sounds can be enjoyed. The venue is Room 150 (a large lecture hall built to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Keio University) on the first floor of the school's South Building. A Steinway piano is permanently installed there, and being able to enjoy the tone of this piano is one of the attractions of Petit Con.

This year's Petit Con, the 28th iteration, was held after school on Saturday, September 20th. The performers were 11 talented students from the 1st to 6th years selected through auditions. They fully demonstrated the results of their daily practice in front of an audience of nearly 100 people (students, parents, and faculty). This year, there were more piano solo performances than usual, and the Steinway piano was very active. The program featured various pieces such as Liszt's "Transcendental Études" and Bruch's "Violin Concerto." Amidst the very busy student life at our school with classes, assignments, and club activities, there were performances that made one think, "I can't believe they polished this piece to such a high level."

The performers have been preparing and facing their pieces since before the auditions in the first semester. Petit Concert is the big event they finally reached by carving out practice time between their studies and club activities, sometimes even sacrificing sleep. Some of the performers likely have extensive experience standing on stages outside of school. However, Petit Con—where they perform in front of close friends and faculty at the school where they spend most of their daily lives—is undoubtedly a special experience for them. It can be said that the learning environment at Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School, which allows students to devote themselves to what they love without worrying about high school or university entrance exams, makes an event like Petit Con possible and enhances its quality.