[Event Report] Karuizawa Forest Piano: Playing Piano in the Forest

" " holds lectures and workshops under the theme of "enriching life in Karuizawa."Hoshino Community Base"We will report on the Karuizawa Forest Piano event held in September.

With the desire to allow people to easily enjoy music amidst abundant nature during the autumn season, the Karuizawa Forest Piano event has been held since 2021. This year, in order to allow even more people to participate, we have planned the "Forest Recital" (September 5th), "First Time Duet" (September 12th), and the first-ever "Forest Rehearsal."

Forest Presentation

Twelve people, from children to adults, attended the "Forest Recital" held on September 5th. The rain that had been falling until just before the performance stopped, and it was a wonderful concert with glimpses of sunshine. Participants freely played a wide range of songs, from classical to pop. Some children even played duets with their teachers or mothers. Although nervous, everyone seemed to enjoy playing, letting themselves be carried away by the refreshing breeze.

At the end of the recital, everyone sang "Sanpo" together, accompanied by a piano duet played by volunteers. All participants became one, and it was a moment filled with warm melodies and smiles.

Nice to meet you, duet

On September 12th, they held a "Nice to Meet You Piano Duet" event. This event allowed participants to play music together with people they were meeting for the first time. Many participants were playing piano duets for the first time, but they seemed to enjoy the pleasant feeling of their sounds blending together. The "three people, four hands" performance, which is not something you usually get to experience, also developed into a beautiful, harmonious sound with repeated practice. After the performance, participants were seen enjoying communication by talking about music and piano.

Matching the sounds of the forest

On September 27th, the final week of the event, we held our first-ever "Forest Sound Harmony" event. It was an event where participants played handbells together with piano music. Most of the participants had no prior experience, but as the practice progressed, they became engrossed in the pleasant feeling of making sounds. The warm tones of the piano and the sparkling sounds of the handbells blended together, creating a healing atmosphere in the forest. It was impressive to see them communicating with each other as they played together to create a single piece of music.

Despite many days of worrying weather this year, everyone's passion for music bore fruit, and all events were held successfully. At Karuizawa Mori Piano, which has connected "players" and "listeners," we wanted to connect players with each other. During the events, we saw participants communicating with one another, and it was truly a moment when that wish became a reality.

Through music, people connected, and the sounds resonated throughout the forest. It was a wonderful and irreplaceable three days. Thank you so much to everyone who participated.