Pacific Music Festival 2011 Opening Concert | Sapporo Art Park

PMF (Pacific Music Festival), founded in 1990 by the premier, conductor, composer and educator of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), is one of the three greatest international educational music festival held in Sapporo.

The PMF Academy members are selected through a very competitive audition process. The promising young musicians from around the world bring fresh interpretations to traditional repertoire, transcending national boundaries and languages.

The opening concert was held in the Sapporo Art Park on July 9th, 2011, which is the 100th anniversary of Gustav Mahler's death, under the theme, "PMF, Into the New Era Ⅱ - Luisi and Mahler -".

The 40 hectare park is in the southern suburbs of the city and consists of a Sculpture Garden, the Museum of Contemporary Art, various craft halls and studios, an outdoor stage, a music hall and a number of artists' cottages. 

For example, near the Takeo Arishima residence,

you can see these art works in the pond and

this art work near the main street!

This is my favorite art work: "You're My Chair, I'm Yours" created by Shigeo Fukuda. 

Much of the park's woodlands, as well as the studios and other buildings, can be enjoyed for free.

Well, I joined the opening concert as an interpreter.

The concert was held in the Leonard Bernstein Memorial Stage; the Sapporo Art Park Outdoor Stage.

Please pay attention to the performance of Krzysztof Urbanski this year!
His conducting technique is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery beautiful and perfect! He is 28 years old and I'm sure he is one of the leading conductors in the world!

Before the concert, I enjoyed the food corner filled with food stalls!
This is an Indian curry stall; TAJ MAHAL, which is a very familiar restaurant in Sapporo.

You can enjoy JUMBO yakitori (grilled chicken),

beer, fried noodles and so on.

Look at this!!!
This is my favorite food stall :-)

Ichigo Kezuri (Shaved strawberries topped with condensed milk mousse) sounds perfect in hot days :-)

This dessert is so delicious that a local TV program featured it!

It looks like a shaved ice, but it isn't. Frozen strawberries are shaved! Yummy x 2! I love this summer dessert!

If you are interested in this dessert, plz go to "LITTLE JUICE BAR" located in the downtown area of Sapporo to enjoy this summer-only product. Plz be in a hurry!!!

PMF holds 38 concerts in Sapporo and other main cities in Hokkaido as well as in Tokyo and Osaka. 

The festival supports the victims of the Japan East Japan Earthquake on March 11th and has a slogan; "Let's hang on together! Let's so our best for Japan". They also hold charity concerts in Sapporo and Tokyo and donate the ticket sales to the affected people.

Furthermore, the artistic directer of PMF, Fabio Luisi and baritone Thomas Hampson kindly declare to donate all of their performance fees of the charity concerts to the affected people. 

I have enormous respects and appreciations to both of the geat musicians!!!

The festival continues until the 4th of August.

Plz take the time to join the festival　and enjoy their music not only by enthusiastic young musicians but also by world-top faculty members of PMF♪

■Where is Sapporo Art Park?

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■Tour guide information■

Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?

I'll guide you! Plz click here!