Day 13 (Hamamatsu) August 15, 2024 (repost from KCR/ER1 Japan Tour 2024)

Symposium Day 4! Today was an early morning for KCR/ERI. We had a rehearsal at 8:30am for our solo pieces. Each “team” is only given 10 minutes to rehearse each song, so we had to be prepared and ready to ring when we came in, in order to make each second count. Some of us even got here early to stretch in a session led by Jordan!

After the rehearsal, there was a memorial service for the former president of the Handbell Ringers of Japan, and the former executive director for the Handbell Ringers of Japan, starting at 9am. Afterwards, we started to practice for the concert with all of the groups. Unlike the other rehearsals from the previous days, we only practiced each song for 15 minutes. This was due to the excursion later in the day.

After the excursion there was another solo concert. This time we played in the solo concert! We played two songs together and we were second to last overall. Our pieces went really well, and at the end of the second one, the members of Kanto Gakuin sand Dona Nobis Pacem with us. It was so beautiful, and members of the staff claimed that it made them cry. We were insanely proud of the friendship that our groups created throughout the week and from the Friendship Concert last Sunday. We also took pictures with their group!

After the concert was over, we (Noreen and Crawford), along with Brian, Miyako, Eiko, Susan, Issac, Andrew, George, Susan, David, and Samantha (yes, there were 12 of us) walked around trying to find a restaurant that would seat all of us. It took a little while and we ended up being split into 3 tables, but we went to a nice “American style” restaurant. Overall, it was a satisfying day to say the least. There was a lot accomplished, and we were heavily congratulated on a job well done on our solo pieces. See you on day 5!

Noreen & Crawford