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| Pianist Tempei Nakamura set |
Though initially studying piano at age 5 through elementary school, a flirtation with rock music through middle school and high school prevented Nakamura from pursuing classical and jazz music until he went to the Osaka University of the Arts. Even these days as he performs, wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, evokes a more casual atmosphere in the formal world of classical music.
This was Nakamura's second concert in Seattle. In light of the recent earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan, the concert''s originally planned nine songs was changed to include two new songs dedicated to the victims of the disasters. Nakamura understands what the survivors are going through as he himself was a victim of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, losing his home in the East Nada Ward in the City of Kobe in 1995. With this in mind, he addressed the crowd during intermission to speak his feelings and thoughts.
One heartfelt message was clear, "There's a feeling of wanting to do something and not knowing what to do, but even though we're far away there's still something that can be done."
In the lobby after the concert, the non profit organization, Reach Out To Japan, accepted donations for the Japan disaster relief.
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| T-shirts for sale with proceeds to go to the Japan Disaster Relief |
We were able to obtain Mr. Tempei Nakamura's autograph after the concert. Thank you for the phrase "Ichigo Ichie" or "once in a lifetime experience".
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