Buy a Ticket!! Rally the World!!

One ticket will support Japan International Volunteer Center(JVC) projects in Asia, Middle East, Africa and the Tohoku Area.

JVC Benefit Concert has been held in Osaka and Tokyo every year. The conductor and soloists come from all over the world! Many people get involved in this concert.

Program

J.S.Bach Christmas Oratorio (part I,II,III and ,V,VI)
Twenty-Third Tokyo Concert
2011, December 4, Sunday, 15:00 PM Showa Women's University

G.F.Hendel's Messiah (The complete work will be performed.)
Eighteen Osaka Concert
2011, December 10, Saturday 16:00 PM Izumi Hall

from Inez M. Baskerville

(from 2010 Concert program greeting)

Welcome to our 2010 JVC Benefit Concerts!

The Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) is about serving for and with our fellow brothers and sisters in Developing Countries. U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once said that "Service is the rent that you pay for lodging on this earth." Speaking for the title of "Messiah" concert, Jesus said it is "better to give then to receive".

But we realize that "service to others" also has beneficial "by-products" for ourselves...While hopefully not being condescending, we feel good when helping others. Indeed, is service not a key raison d'etre for our being? And at JVC we learn so much of values and human endurance and faith from the peoples we meet at the gemba (local areas)...

So this day, as we are mindful of our participation in the service for / with others around the world, we do not have to apologize for also appreciating great music. Serve and enjoy!

Conductor and Soloists

Conductor: Takeharu Nobuhara

In 1963, he founded the Telemann Ensemble (the current Telemann Chamber Orchestra)for the spreading of baroque music in Japan as the purpose of their activities.  He led the ensemble and gained many awards such as Osaka Cultural Festival Award, Excellent Performance Award at the arts festival by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the 17th Suntory Music Award, etc.

Nobuhara, together with the Telemann Chamber Orchestra and the Telemann Chamber Choir, which he leads, has played at churches attempting many debut performances in Japan of the 18th century oratorios and religious music, among which are G. Ph. Telemann’s “Matthew Passion” , “Brockes Passion” composed by G. Ph. Telemann, G. F. Handel,R. Keiser, etc.

Beyond the pieces of the 18th century, his repertoire of church music was extended to W. A. Mozart’s “Requiem”, F. J. Haydn’s “Die Schoepfung”, & “ Die Jarszeiten”, M. Haydn’s “Requiem”, L. v. Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnus”, and Faure’s “Requiem”.

Nobuhara　has a large repertoire of instrumental music, and he has performed with many musicians of different genre such as conductors: J.E. Gardiner, F. Brugger, C. Hogwood, G. Bosse, and players: M .Andre, F. Ayo, M. Rampal, H. Schellenberger, P. Damm, A. Bylsma, Jean-Pierre Wallez, and G. Karr.

Most remarkable is Nobuhara’s interpretation and conducting of Beethoven’s “Symphony No.9”.   In 1982, he performed the symphony with an orchestra composed in the same way as it was at the very first performance and at the tempo originally assigned by Beethoven.

Regarded as the first attempt in the world, Nobuhara’s interpretation and approach attained a high reputation.  In fact, J. E. Gardiner and C. Hogwood took the recording back home to listen and study Nobuhara’s drastic Beethoven symphony.  Named “100 Players Symphony No. 9”, Nobuhara’s performance of the symphony has been continued every year at the Symphony Hall in Osaka gaining a big popularity.  In November, 2006, he organized a group named the Period Instrument Players (PIP), which performed the Symphony No. 9 with original instruments.  Furthermore, in 2008, he gave a series of performances with original instruments: 11 pieces in total, namely, Beethoven’s all Symphonies, Chorus Fantasy, and Missa Solemnus.  Because of this great contribution, he was awarded by the Federal Republic of Germany a metal, Verdienstkreuz am Bande, of Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublic Deutchland.

Among the many orchestras with which Nobuhara has performed with and gained a high reputation are the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Gevandhaus Bach Orchestra, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa,  the Kyushu Symphonic  Orchestra, and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.  In 2009, he also conducted the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he started to give a continuous series of performances from 2010.  In the following 3 years, he will be performing all symphonies by Beethoven with the orchestra.  The first performance of the series was given in May, 2010, and was highly acclaimed as a performance which would explore the next era of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra.  The second performance, Beethoven’s Symphony No.6, “Pastorale”, was commented by the late  Mr. Tadao Koishi, critic, on the evening edition of the Nippon Keizai Newspaper on Sep. 30, 2010, as the “Pastorale” ever played with such a mighty sound full of life  In October, 2010, he conducted the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra at its subscriptional concert in Yokohama.  Taken from the live recording of the concert, a CD, Brahms’ Symphony No.1, was released in February, 2011, and won a fame.

Listed below are some of the awards Nobuhara has won:
     Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
     Hyogo Prefecture Cultural Award
     Kobe City Cultural Encouragement Award
     The 9th Iue Cultural Award
     Award for Person of Merit, Hyogo Prefecture

Soprano: Anna Dennis

Anna studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Noelle Barker. Notable concert performances have included Britten's War Requiem at the Berlin Philharmonie, Mozart’s Mass in Cminor for the Clarion Music Society in New York, and Mozart’s Exultate, Jubilate with the London Mozart Players.

Particularly noted for her work in Modern and Baroque repertoire, Anna’s performances of Berio’s Folksongs, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, and Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, were all broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Anna has twice created title roles in operatic premieres at the Almeida Theatre - The Girl of Sand and Ariadne, both composed by Elena Langer, and other recent opera roles include: Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo and l'Ingrata in Monteverdi's Ballo delle Ingrate.

Countertenor: Owen Willetts

Owen began singing as a choral scholar at Sheffield Cathedral and then at Lichfield Cathedral. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Noelle Barker and David Lowe. Owen has worked with many of the leading names in historical performance, including John Elliot Gardiner, Laurence Cummings and Christian Curnyn. He has performed concerts including Bach’s Johannes Passion, Purcell’s Ode to St Cecilia, and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor.

On the opera stage, Owen has performed many notable roles includes the role of Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and the title role in Handel’s Orlando. Upcoming performances include the role of Unulfo in Handel’s Rodelinda for Christian Curnyn and a tour of Bach’s Matthew’s Passion with Les Musicians de Louvre and etc.

Tenor: James Doing

The American lyric tenor, James Doing, is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (MM and BFA). While completing his studies at the University of Connecticut, he participated in the AGMA young artist apprenticeship programs at Lake George (1983) and Santa Fe (1984). From Santa Fe, he was invited to join the Netherlands Opera Studio to pursue further training and launch an international career in opera.

James Doing specializes in the operas of Mozart and the concert music of the Baroque period, especially that of J.S. Bach. James Doing's concert credits number nearly 100 as the Evangelist (with arias) in J.S. Bach's St. Matthew and St. John passions and frequent solo roles in J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio and G.F.Handel's Messiah. He made his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony in 1998 and with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and Bach Choir Holland in 1999. As a respected interpreter of 20th-century music, he has been invited to the Holland, South Bank, and Aldeburgh festivals, among many others.

Bass: Cedric Trenton Berry

Cedric Berry, Bass Baritone, received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Southern California. He has performed a variety of operatic roles. One of his first operatic roles was Ptolemaus in Julius Caesar by Handel. This began his performance experience in baroque repertoire. His most notable performances are of Handel’s Messiah, which he has extensively performed with various orchestras throughout the United States.

Cedric made his first European stage appearances in Spain, as Jake, in a concert version of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. He appeared with LA Opera at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Savonlinna, Finnland and sang a concert in tribute to Paul Robeson for the Banlieurs Bleues festival in Paris, France. In addition he has been the recipient of several awards including first place in the Metropolitan Opera Western Region Competition. In May 2011, he made a guest appearance with the LA Master Choral at the Walt Disney Concert Hall singing sacred music by Duke Ellington.

History of JVC Benefit Concert

Why the concerts?

To assist some very, very needy people in some of the world's poorest nations. And to create greater awareness in Japan for the needs in Developing Countries, and how people of the World working together can help fulfill these needs by supporting the developmental and environmental projects of the Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) in Africa and Asia.

Specific Objectives:

• Create a greater awareness in Japan of the needs in Third World countries and how the people of the world working together can help fulfill these needs by supporting the work that JVC is doing in Africa and Asia.
• Provide pamphlets, information booths and explanatory programs for concert attendees.
• Generate ¥10,000,000 net, after all expenses paid, to be used directly for JVC field projects. This is done by
  1. managing overhead/operating costs to ¥10,000,000 or less
  2. raising ¥10,000,000 from sponsors, other groups, and individuals to cover the overhead costs and
  3. selling all concert tickets.

To fulfill the above objectives and assure success it is indispensable for JVC as the host organization, the choir, performers and other volunteers to build a strong, cooperative relationship with mutual understanding and good Teamwork. (Please see more specific details below.)

A Little History:

Inez Baskerville first came to Japan in 1964 with her family to serve as missionaries in Kyushu for eight years. Due to her husband's business assignments back in Asia she also lived in Tokyo during the years 1980-1992. After her three children graduated from high school she began doing volunteer work not only inside the church but also for other needy causes. Her incentive is simply that as a Christian she was taught since early childhood "to love your neighbors and help those in need."

Beginning in 1981 Baskerville began organizing benefit concerts for Refugees International Japan in Tokyo. She also became acquainted with JVC, an NPO founded by Japanese in 1980 in Bangkok to provide relief for war refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. JVC's headquarters moved to Tokyo in 1983 and beginning in 1992 shifted their work to developmental and conservation work. Now JVC leads for example, technical training workshops in Cambodia, farm training for impoverished youth in South Africa. JVC works very closely with local groups and makes every effort to incorporate local custom and insights into the projects. Financial and personnel self-sufficiency is one of the key short term goals.

With Baskerville's dream of doing Messiah in Japan and raising funds for JVC, and with much assistance from volunteers, choir members, companies, orchestra managers and the JVC staff the first Tokyo JVC Benefit Concert was performed in 1988. Mr. Hiroshi Gunji, with great talent and wide experience and popularity in conducting and training choirs, graciously agreed to be responsible for the choir at the first concert. Five hundred choir members participated - including Tokyo Academy Choir members led by Maestro Takashi Kanai. The Second Concert generated more interest. And Maestro Gunji also arranged several other concerts for the visiting conductors and soloists. Since 1990 only Messiah has been performed in Tokyo.

Since 1993 a Benefit Concert has also been performed annually in Osaka for JVC. The late Mr. Hirohiko Inomata played a very key role at the beginning, after reading about the Tokyo concert in the Asahi Shimbun's Tenseijingo in 1992 and arranged for The Postal Saving for International Voluntary Aid in Japan to sponsor the first concert. Since 1995 Baskerville and JVC has assumed responsibilities also for the Osaka Concerts. The Quodlibet Chor provides the excellent singing and related cooperation, rotating biannually Messiah and Christmas Oratorio.

2011 JVC Concert Committee members

We have JVC Committee members who support JVC Benefit Concert. They are JVC Committee members for 2011.

• Inez M. Baskerville: Chairperson
• Mitsue Umeda
• Sumiko Gomi
• Yasuko Nakayama
• Sanae Kamata
• Kikuko Tanaka
• Megumi Koyama
• Kaori Takasugi (JVC Concert Office)

Ticket Information

Program

12/4 Sun
Tokyo concert at Showa Women's University(Tokyo-to, Setagaya-ku/ Seat)
Seats [Reserved Seats Only]
S ¥10,000
A ¥5,000
B ¥4,000
C ¥3,000

12/10 Sat
Osaka concert at Izumi Hall (Osaka-fu,Osaka-shi / Seat)
Seats [Reserved Seats Only]
S ¥10,000
A ¥5,000
B ¥4,000

How to buy a ticket

1. Please send e-mail (concert@ngo-jvc.net) or FAX(03-3835-0519) or make a phone call(03-3836-4108) with following information.
   1. Your name
   2. Tickets ( S, A, B, or C, and the number)
   3. Phone number and your address
2. Make a payment through the post office.
   • post office account No: 00110-2-650863
   • Account holder: JVC Concert Office
3. JVC Concert Office will send you tickets as soon as possible!

What can we do with your 5,000 yen ticket?

• Cambodia: Training for increasing rice harvest for two households.
• Palestine: Food distribution (fortified milk and biscuit) for five children, one month.

More Information

JVC Concert Office
Tel: 03-3836-4108 FAX: 03-3835-0519
E-mail: concert@ngo-jvc.net
URL: http://www.ngo-jvc.net/concert/ (in Japanese)