Last summer, at his annual Saito Kinen Festival in Nagano Prefecture, maestro Seiji Ozawa chose to perform the opera "Peter Grimes," in which the sea imagery represents the protagonist's emotions. Harpist Naoko Yoshino, one of the invited guest musicians, contributed greatly to the opera's success by weaving the sounds and colors of the ocean into the tapestry of the music. For those who attended, it surely must have left an impression that lingered long after the performance.
Yoshino is hoping to have a similar effect on young listeners. Ever since the Nagano festival, this world-class harpist has been helping high-school students from various schools organize a special Teenagers' Concert, targeted at high-school students.
Over the past decade, Yoshino has often played in concerts designed for teenagers. She says she has always been intrigued by the honest reactions she received from young audiences, especially when she played contemporary harp pieces that she thought might be too difficult for young listeners to appreciate.