Yamagata Symphony Orchestra plays part in community synergy

Yamagata, the city selected in 2025 as the first Destination Region — a Japanese municipality The Japan Times wishes to tell the world about — is home to the first professional orchestra in the Tohoku region.

The Yamagata Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1972, driven by the passion of conductor Chiaki Murakawa to bring authentic music to the children of Yamagata.

In a recent interview with The Japan Times, Executive Director and Secretary-General Hideki Nishihama, who has been involved in the orchestra’s management since 2015, said he did not know much about Yamagata until he was invited to one of the orchestra’s concerts in 2012.

As a longtime fan of orchestral music and having previously served as director and secretary-general of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, based in Osaka, Nishihama had of course heard about the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra. “But it was when I actually saw the orchestra perform in Osaka that I became particularly aware of Yamagata,” he said. The concert he saw was Osaka’s first “Sakuranbo (Cherry) Concert,” a series that began in 2003 at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall and is always accompanied by a trade fair showcasing Yamagata specialty products such as cherries.

Recognized for his success in restructuring the orchestra in Osaka between 2003 and 2011, Nishihama was offered his current position at the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra in 2014. Before deciding whether to accept, he visited Yamagata for the first time. It was February, and snow fell on him as soon as he started walking down a deserted street. However, once he stepped into the concert hall, he was amazed to see a crowd gathered to watch a performance. It was then that he recognized the level of appreciation that the people of Yamagata had for the arts.

Nishihama said another great thing about Yamagata is how close people and things are to each other, thanks to the city’s compactness. For regional cities and events to attract people, it is often important to constantly try new things and ideas. “But I don’t just have ideas flowing out of my brain. It is the close connections and communication with various people — a benefit of being in a small city — that generate new ideas and energy,” he explained.

Close connections with people also enable quick decision-making. Several years ago, when Nishihama learned that a local department store had gone bankrupt and in just two days the community would hold an event aimed at revitalizing the area, he sent a message to Mayor Takahiro Sato via a social networking service saying that an orchestra’s value lies in participating in such events as a symbol of the community. Two days later, the mayor and members of the orchestra were standing on the stage in the square outside the store, livening up the event. “To truly bring out the value of meaningful work, the energy of the people in that place and the connections between them are what matter most,” Nishihama said.

He also believes that the physical proximity of things and places can transform the entire city into a place where visitors can enjoy exploring. He pointed out that the city is home to various historic buildings and cultural properties, especially pseudo-Western structures built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Bunshokan, a local history museum. The city also has various cultural facilities, including Yamagin Kenmin Hall, one of the orchestra’s home venues. The hall opened in 2020 and receives approximately 900,000 visitors annually, making it a flagship cultural facility of the city.

Another home venue is Yamagata Terrsa Hall, which will host a concert featuring the orchestra with renowned Lithuanian conductor and violinist Julian Rachlin in July. Next January will see the return of Clelia Cafiero, a promising Italian conductor who recently made her debut at the renowned German opera house Semperoper Dresden. “Clelia Cafiero made her Japanese debut at our hall,” Nishihama said.

“Isn’t it exciting to think that our hall in Yamagata could become a hub for global exchange?” Nishihama said. “If you drop a single drop of water, in Tokyo the ripples disappear almost immediately, but in Yamagata they keep spreading and linger on,” he added, convinced that small regional cities like Yamagata are full of possibilities.