Reciter:　Mieko Morita (Meguro UNESCO), Wataru Koyanagi (Production Advance), and Yasukage Hinaka (Production Advance) Programs: Ayako Kawai - Chopin Waltz op69-1 and Liszt Ballade no.2;　Mitsutaka Shiraishi - Ravel Pavane pour une infante dèfunte and Chopin Scherzo no.3 cis moll op39;　Ayako Kawai and Mitsutaka Shiraishi - Saint-Saëns Le carnaval des animaux (duo piano version);　Date: October 13 (Mon.) 3:00pm / Venue: Meguro Persimmon Hall / Organized by: Meguro UNESCO Association / Co-organized by: Meguro Board of Education, Meguro Foundation of Art and Culture/ Supported by: National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan,　Meguro International Friendship Association, Meguro Elementary School PTA Federation, Meguro Middle School PTA Federation, Meguro Children's Group

Pride of Persimmon Hall, two Steinway full concert pianos faced each other o n the stage for the occasion of Ayako Kawai andMitsutaka Shiraishi's duo performance. The two up-and-coming pianists, both from Meguro, have a strong relationship with Meguro UNESCO. Elementary school children and middle school students were invited to the concert as in past years. Each pianist performed two popular solo pieces in the first part of the concert.

In the second part, the two pianists performed Le carnaval des animaux with the recitation given by three youths so that the primary school children can understand and enjoy the performance.

In the encore, Mieko from the Youth Activity Committee spoke of her experiences in Nepal when she visited there on a study tour. The idea of associating music and the spirit of UNESCO through words was unique and it received a big round of applause from the audience. 　

(Text, illustration: Mieko Morita, Youth Activity Committee Member)

I attended a board meeting few months ago, which unexpectedly resulted in myself and a friend and his friend performing on stage. When we saw that the audience was predominantly primary school children, we decided to recite a play in a way to capture their interest. The audience was very quiet during the first half, but once into the encore, we heard laughter here and there. "We did it!" Something had been communicated to them. It was a great feeling. Through the piano concert I was able to re-acknowledge the wonderfulness of performing arts. Hearing the sounds of live piano being played made me feel calm and kindhearted. I was convinced that arts can move people's feelings and was proud to be a part of it. In the encore, I spoke about the trip to Nepal this past spring. ''In the villages of Nepal, floors and walls of houses are made of dirt. When the floors become bumpy, people rub cow dung to make the surface even. People don't think cow dung is dirty or unsanitary, so they eat meals using their hands without washing them. Because people do not have any knowledge about sanitation, many of them become ill. About five children out of ten will become ill and die before reaching adulthood. In the UNESCO Terakoya Program, aside from reading, writing and arithmetic, the importance of washing hands before meals is taught.'' Perhaps my experience in Nepal could be conveyed to a large number of people through arts. The concert gave me the hint and I decided to express my experiences in Nepal through a comical illustration. I would like to thank everyone involved in organizing this concert for giving me such a valuable experience.

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