Though Japan is home to a thriving classical music scene, it is wind band, not orchestra, that is commonly found in junior and senior high schools. A quick google search for "Kagoshima orchestra" (in English) pulls up Kagoshima Joho HS's wind orchestra, and they. are. fantastic. Have a listen for yourself.
One of the things that drew me to the JET program and the whole idea of teaching in Japan in the first place is the opportunity to get involved with students in various clubs that span the whole gamut, including sports, English, calligraphy, robotics, newspaper, Japanese archery, and the like. If the school(s) I teach at have an orchestra, great! I'm definitely joining. If they only have wind band, it gets a little tougher.
But regardless of the state of the school music clubs, my first task will be to find a cello.
It took me some digging, but I finally figured out how to google "stringed instrument" in Japanese (弦楽器, gengakki), which along with the Japanese kanji for "Kagoshima" (鹿児島), returned one very promising result: Sakoda violin shop based in Kagoshima city.
The Kagoshima University Alumni Association Orchestra (鹿児島大学学友会管弦楽団) is again based in Kagoshima city. Their members are amateur players from the University community. Like Kakyou, they have rolling auditions, and can even draw on the University's resources to lend out instruments and support newer players. No concert recording on youtube, but I found an interview with two of their players.
The MBC Youth Orchestra is associated with Kakyou and accepts members up to age 24, but auditions are carried out only twice a year.
Outside of Kagoshima City, the Kanoya Orchestra (かのやオーケストラ)and the Kirishima Philharmonic (霧島フィルハーモニーオーケストラ) are both amateur groups located in Kanoya city and Kirishima city respectively. Kanoya is on the Ōsumi Peninsula while Kirishima is just north of Kagoshima bay.
The Amami Orchestra, located on the island of the same name, is a small amateur group that also welcomes beginners. See their collaboration with the Amami HS brass band:
But regardless of the state of the school music clubs, my first task will be to find a cello.
It took me some digging, but I finally figured out how to google "stringed instrument" in Japanese (弦楽器, gengakki), which along with the Japanese kanji for "Kagoshima" (鹿児島), returned one very promising result: Sakoda violin shop based in Kagoshima city.
They appear to be a satellite store of a larger company in Tokyo, and as far as I know, their Sakoda store appears to be the only stringed instrument shop in Kagoshima. I'll pay them a visit when I arrive in the prefecture and rent a cello.
If my assigned school doesn't have an orchestra, I hope to join a local community orchestra. There are, to my surprise, quite a number of them!
The Kagoshima Symphony Orchestra (鹿児島交響楽団, nicknamed "Kakyou"), based in Kagoshima city. Their members are good amateurs, not professionals, so this is a group I definitely want to audition for. Luckily, they have rolling open auditions. I was able to find a video of them performing Saint-Saens piano concerto no 2. (The soloist is Kagoshima-born pianist Melissa Gore.)
The Kagoshima University Alumni Association Orchestra (鹿児島大学学友会管弦楽団) is again based in Kagoshima city. Their members are amateur players from the University community. Like Kakyou, they have rolling auditions, and can even draw on the University's resources to lend out instruments and support newer players. No concert recording on youtube, but I found an interview with two of their players.
Outside of Kagoshima City, the Kanoya Orchestra (かのやオーケストラ)and the Kirishima Philharmonic (霧島フィルハーモニーオーケストラ) are both amateur groups located in Kanoya city and Kirishima city respectively. Kanoya is on the Ōsumi Peninsula while Kirishima is just north of Kagoshima bay.
The Amami Orchestra, located on the island of the same name, is a small amateur group that also welcomes beginners. See their collaboration with the Amami HS brass band:
Prefectural JETs like myself don't find out their exact placement within the prefecture until June or July, so all I can do until then is hope I get to live near one of these groups!
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