the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture operating the

The 31st UNESCO Charity Concert　Piano Recital by Maki Sekiya

Place: Meguro Persimmon Hall (Great Hall), Date: March 8, 2003

Organized by Meguro UNESCO Association; Sponsored by Meguro City, Meguro Board of Education, Meguro International Friendship Association, and the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan

Smiling families, young and old, waited patiently for the doors to open. Then they took to their seats and cheerfully waited for the opening curtain in a congenial and upbeat atmosphere.

This was the second time for Ms. Maki Sekiya to perform at a Charity Concert for Meguro UNESCO Association. Being so highly motivated, she could rise to the challenge to play Sonata B dur, D960 Op. posth by Schubert first. This is an opus that runs as long as 40 minutes, requiring a depth of spirit and unbroken tension. She strikes a balance between youth and confidence.

The first piece of the Part II was played for the first time ever in this country. This is a work by a friend of hers at the Moscow Conservatory. Ms. Sekiya introduced the work and asked for applause for her friend, who got married recently. She answered questions posed by President Kato, who acted as the

MC. Her cheerful and friendly replies captivated the audience, who quickly attuned themselves to her tempo and style. She had prepared two pieces for the encore and never stopped smiling all the way through the performance. This created a special atmosphere for the charity concert, and helped the audience enjoy the music.

During the intermission, Friendship Members wore ethnic costumes and chatted with visitors. Textbooks and teaching materials used in their countries were also on display. The event was produced in a way unique to Meguro UNESCO Association.

The next day, Maki made a goodwill visit to Gohongi Elementary School. She showed no signs of fatigue as she presented as many as 13 pieces, including requests, to the students. Her bright character encouraged children to raise their hands as they all wanted to play the piano with her. In the end, she played a piece together with a first grader, who she helped by extending her hands from behind. The children were excited and sang "Grandfather's Clock", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", etc. The performance wound up with the "Minute Waltz ".

When we saw Maki put into practice the spirit of UNESCO charity, with all her strength yet in such an unostentatious manner, we applauded her as staff members. And at the same time, we realized she has taught us things in many ways. We also of course appreciate a large amount of revenue given to UNESCO activities, and sincerely wish Maki every success in her career.