On Saturday, September 5, 2026, the Community Exchange Program "Oka no Ue Concert: The Resonance of a Vocal Ensemble" was held in the auditorium of Keio Yokohama Elementary School.
Keio Yokohama Elementary School had held a Community Exchange Program every year since 2014, the year after its opening, but the COVID-19 pandemic had prevented it from being held for several years. This year, the program resumed for the first time in seven years, marking its seventh iteration. A concert was performed by five musicians, including music faculty members from Keio Yokohama Elementary School. Approximately 500 local residents attended, making it a great success with a nearly full house.
Following careful preparation, the concert opened with Manabu Shiraogawa, Vice Principal of Keio Yokohama Elementary School, serving as the master of ceremonies and Kunihiro Baba, Principal of Keio Yokohama Elementary School, delivering the opening remarks. The concert was presented in two parts: the first half featured Japanese works, and the second half, following an intermission, featured works from around the world. From the perspective of interacting with the local community, the program consisted of pieces familiar to the audience, interspersed with historical anecdotes to provide a glimpse into the spirit of our school's music education.
The first half began with "Kono Michi" (lyrics by Hakushu Kitahara, music by Kosaku Yamada) as the opening piece, performed as a heartfelt quartet harmony accompanied by piano. This was followed by "Furusato no Shiki" (The Four Seasons of Home), a medley of nostalgic Japanese songs about the four seasons, also performed by the vocal ensemble.
Next, the program introduced Joji Yuasa, who studied at Keio University and composed the "Keio Yokohama Elementary School Song," through both talk and song. Performances of pieces popular among elementary school students, such as "Hashire Chotokkyu" (Run, Super Express) and "Jet-ki Kyun" (The Jet Goes Zoom), filled the venue with excitement.
In the second half of the program, the stage shifted to the world.
It began with two piano solos: preludes by Bach and Chopin.
The notes were spun with a quiet heart to allow the audience to feel a spirit that transcends countries and eras.
The final two segments of the second half, "World Masterpieces (4 songs)" and "Opera Arias (4 songs)," featured a soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass singer appearing one by one. Each gave an expressive performance that highlighted the unique characteristics of their voices. Accompanied by the piano, the audience enjoyed art songs and arias in various languages, including German, Italian, English, French, and Russian.
Following enthusiastic applause, the entire ensemble performed the Keio Yokohama Elementary School school song "Kono Oka ni" (lyrics by Nozomu Hayashi, music by Akira Senju) as an encore. "Kono Oka ni," which was specially composed for Keio Yokohama Elementary School, is a song that the students often sing on various occasions. The local community members were able to experience the rich music being played on this hill where everyone learns every day. Amidst the beautiful resonance, the feelings of the audience and the performers melded together, and the venue became one, enveloped in an indescribably warm atmosphere as the "Oka no Ue" Concert came to a close.
We received many comments from the audience, such as "Tears welled up as soon as the piano prelude began" and "I was moved as I remembered the sight of the children walking home along that small path."
Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the "Oka no Ue" Concert, which was resumed through a grassroots effort supported by everyone's great kindness. We received celebratory flowers from the local neighborhood association and warm support and well-wishes from many people. We feel the significance of being able to resume this emotional exchange with the local community through music. We are also grateful to those who carried out the meticulous administrative work from the preparation stage (flyer production, public relations, advance registration, and participant list creation), those who maintain the safety and cleanliness of our school on a daily basis, the Keio University staff who handled the venue and instrument setup, photography, and recording, the members of the Aoba Mita-kai who helped with reception on the day, the graduates of Keio Yokohama Elementary School, and our school's faculty who were in charge of stage lighting and sound during the performance. Thanks to the volunteer spirit of so many people, the event was very fruitful. We will continue to strive toward being a lush, green hill supported by the local community.