Greetings from the Chairman of the Japan Harpsichord Society
Greetings from Naoya Otsuka, chairman for the 6th term (2023-)
My name is Naoya Otsuka, and I am pleased to announce that I will be serving as the sixth president of the Harpsichord Society of Japan. Please accept my best regards. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the support of our members, as well as the great work of the past presidents and other members of the steering committee, which has enabled the Association to continue its activities for more than 10 years despite the fact that, at the time of its inauguration, I heard from many quarters that it would be difficult to continue for a long time. In particular, I am deeply grateful to President Okada, who led the Association into its fifth term, for his efforts to keep the harpsichord circle alive amidst the severe restrictions imposed on the Association's activities under the Corona disaster.
Now that the world has begun to move again, I would like to make sure that there is a healthy exchange of information and cooperation among people involved with the harpsichord, including those who listen to it, those who play it, those who make it, those who prepare it, those who study it, etc., while respecting the differences of opinion among them. I hope that we can bring a new atmosphere into the association by reviewing our events and management methods. In particular, we would like to expand the circle of people interested in the harpsichord and encourage more people to become members of the association, and although the activities of the association tend to be concentrated in Tokyo, we would like to explore the possibilities of the association's activities in various places and in various ways with the help of new technologies. The voices of each and every one of our members are the greatest source of strength for the association. We would be very grateful if you would continue to provide us with your opinions and cooperation during this term.
Greetings from the 5th chairman(2020-) Ryunosuke Okada
This is the first time that the General Assembly has been held under the unprecedented circumstances of a coronavirus outbreak. I have decided to take over the presidency from the current president, Mr. Kubota, and I would like to express my greetings to all of you on the first day of the General Assembly, which was originally called “Harpsichord Day!" I should have addressed you all on the first day of the General Meeting, but instead I will use this text as a substitute. In the process of drafting the enclosed resolution, there was a lively exchange of ideas among the Steering Committee members, including the first e-mail meeting of the Committee. It was very encouraging for me to see the active involvement of the committee members in the association and their sincere efforts in each section. I am sure that this is a major support for the activities of our association, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. While my personal strength is limited, the unity of the many Steering Committee members holds untapped potential. I would like to work closely and cooperate with the new steering committee members to further enhance the activities of the association, one step at a time. I look forward to your continued support and encouragement.
Ryunosuke Okada, New chairman of the Harpsichord Society of Japan
Greetings from 3rd and 4th term society chairman Keiichi Kubota
To all of our members,
“Harpsichord Days 2016” was held
this past May 14th and 15th and came
to a successful close. I am grateful to all those that participated and worked to make it a success.
In the 5th General Meeting held June
14, amendments to rules regarding changes in member classifications were approved. Though
the Society previously consisted of
regular, general, and corporate members, after the amendments members will now
be classified as members, supporters, and
corporate members. In the past, regular members were those who were “involved with harpsichords in a professional capacity, or those studying to do so.” However,
after the revisions, members are “those involved with harpsichords, and those in agreement with the purpose of the Society.” With this change, we open ourselves to broader participation from
those that love the harpsichord and harpsichord music.
In addition, in June 2017 we will publish our inaugural “Japan Harpsichord Society Annual Report”. Please look forward to that.
Keiichi
Kubota, Japan Harpsichord Society
Chairman
* The new member classifications will
take effect starting April 1, 2017. The Society will once again inform members as to how to change classifications, etc.
Greetings from 3rd term (2015-) society chairman Keiichi Kubota
I have accepted the position of chairman for
this term. I am not a performer, but rather a researcher of music history, and thus may not
be qualified to
be a chairman. However, during my term I
will do all that I can to contribute to the development of the Society. In order
to do
this, I would also like
to ask for the help and cooperation of
each of our members.
A draft budget for this year was
approved in the 2015 general meeting. The budget included a line item for “publishing an annual report”. In its activities, the Society has held “Harpsichord
Days,” study groups and published
newsletters, but publishing a periodical such as an annual report is an absolute must to keep a record of Society activities, announce the research findings of members, and bring harpsichord
awareness to society.
I accepted the position of chairman in
the hope that my research activities to date will be of some use in the process
of publishing an annual report. Of
course, I will also be doing other Society
activities, but as this is the most important
issue of my term, I will be consulting with the steering committee as we work our way towards publication. I welcome the unreserved opinions and hopes of all members, and humbly ask for your
support.
Greetings from 1st and 2nd term (2011-2015) society chairman Michio Kobayashi
I have accepted the role of chairman in the Japan Harpsichord Society, despite being wholly incapable and unqualified, apart from my abilities as a performer. I will need the energies of everyone involved with the society, and humbly ask for your help.
Performers do so much that can only be performed individually, though we also have many things that cannot be done alone. Having associates with whom I can share information on instrument issues, technical issues, performance practices and so forth, I feel as if I no longer need to be alone.
In addition, for those that play the piano, I am sure I don’t need to tell any of you what an important experience it is to work with performers that play keyboard instruments such as the clavichord, harpsichord, and fortepiano, and help develop the fundamentals of finger movement.
I believe that the work of this society goes beyond the world of old music, and wish to do this work patiently and steadily, with feet firmly planted and focusing on what can be done now.
I ask for your wisdom, abilities, and help as I do so.
About the Japan Harpsichord Society
Harpsichords have been manufactured and performed in Japan by the Japanese for around seventy years. The Japan Harpsichord Society was started on October 22, 2011 by harpsichord experts, due to growing requests from individuals associated with harpsichords.
Michio Kobayashi was chosen for two terms as chairman of the organization, followed by Kubota Keiichi for the third term, and the Society is currently led by a steering committee.
The purpose of the Society is to broaden the reach of harpsichords and harpsichord music through the cooperation and sharing of information between harpsichord performers, manufacturers, technicians, and fans. The Society organizes one event annually, and holds multiple regular meetings throughout the year.
In addition, in 2017 the Society began publishing an annual report, which includes research papers, book reviews, introductions of musical instruments, and reports. Through this report, newsletters and our website, we are working on broadening the appeal of harpsichords.
More than 200 members and supporters are currently on our roster.
To learn more about our Society and for any questions, please feel free to contact us at japan.harpsichord.society.jp@gmail.com.
