John Pamintuan (J): Hi Javi. How are you?
Javier Busto (B): Hello, friend John. I hope your health and yours is excellent. We are well, now.
J: I want to ask you something.  I am writing an article in a magazine for the Asian Choral Association and a particular topic: what do the jury expect from your choir during a competition.
Is it possible for you to write a few words, about your experiences adjudicating in Korea, Japan, and Taipei, listening to the Asian choirs and what you wanted to hear from the technique or repertoire, or any other you might think of? 
B: I am sending you what the competition juries think to judge a choir.
“Juzgar a un Coro”

1. Presentation of the choir, that is relaxed and smiling, but with a natural smile, not forced. Appropriate clothing.
2. Placement of the choir quickly and without strange movements. If there is a previous test this is less complicated, if there is no test, I recommend the person who will occupy the center to note in which position it should be placed and those of the ends that win it with respect to the position of the center.
3. Clarity when giving the exact tonality.
4. Attack the work with security, without glottis blows.
5. Bad intonation during the performance of the work.
6. Direction appropriate to the different types of musical epochs.
7. Get good expression and emotion (the most important thing).
8. Program suitable for the possibilities of the choir. Conductors often choose complex works for competitions and it feels that the choir cannot interpret them well, even though they have worked hard and suffered in rehearsals.
9. Rhythmic problems.
10. Vocal problems.
11. Balance of voices.
12. Much more details, but it is essential that the conductor controls the choir and not exhibit too much movement of the body and arms. For me, a controlled and not exaggerated gesture.

J: Thank you very much!
B: My pleasure!

​John Pamintuan (J): Karmina! How are you?
Karmina Silec (K): Thank you, I'm excellent.

J: It's been a long time.
K: Yes, yes. What for, are we doing this?
J: You saw the Facebook photo from Susanna yesterday.  You commented.
K: Yes!
J: We are forming the Asian Choral Association.
K: Great!
J: So, we are launching next Friday, and we also have a magazine.
K: (nods her head)

J: For the first issue, there is one topic: What the jury expects from your choir during a competition.
K: Okay.
J: And, of course, you know, who is the most famous female jury from all across Europe?  Karmina Silec. Only Karmina.
K: Ja, ja, ja. (while laughing from my buttering up)
​
J: So, I want to ask you.  Specifically in 2018, you were in the jury in European Grand Prix in Maribor.
K: (Looks to the ceiling)  Okay... was I?
J: Yeah, yeah.
K: I don't remember, but ok.
J: The choir that won there is the children's choir from Indonesia.
K: Yes, yes.  Now I remember. Ja, ja.
J: Can you tell me your impression?

K: Oh well, it's quite a while, but I was very much impressed in technical skills that young people performed and showed us.  And when all intonation, rhythmical, and this kind of basic musical technical things were done and accomplished, they actually raised the level of performance into artistry, so, they really performed with musicality.  They communicate excellent with audience, and among themselves.  I think that "why they were so highly-praised from the jury," was because they didn't stop on this technical perfection, but they also managed to go beyond that, and I think that's what I, as a jury always look for: performers are actually artists with personality, with creativity, and with communication.

J: Wow, very nice words!  Now, in contrast, you have also been jury in Singapore with the amateur choirs.
K: (Agrees) Mm hmm
J: Of course, it is not European Grand Prix, but there are also good choirs there.  How do you compare?

K: Well, having been in Singapore for quite several times, I can say that I have very good insight into Singaporean culture of choir music.  For me, this was one of the best experiences ever in my life as a jury member, because what Singaporean choirs do is really amazing!  Number of international level choirs is so high that you can't imagine that they are really trying to do things very well from an educational point of view, and there so many who are reaching further on.  I think they are trying to have new repertoire, trying to have contemporary music in quite a high amount of percentage, and I think if Singapore is going in a way which I remember (I haven't been there for quite a while), this is excellent choir culture, from my opinion.

J:  Okay.  I think your mind now is pregnant.  I ask you one question, bam! bam! bam! this artistry flows (because she seems to have said the words in one breath!)
K: I'm sorry (laughs)
​
J: All of this artistry comes out from you in this short interview (it was electrifying, and at 8 in the morning!).  It's a really nice time to ask you, because you have so many ideas.
K:  Thank you.

J: My final question: what do you think are the points that the Asian choirs can still improve on? Based on your experience listening to these choirs in many competitions, do you think that these Asian choirs have already reached your Carmina Slovenica standard?

K: First of all, I would not compare at all with Carmina Slovenica because I think this is another thing.  But I would say that Asian choirs, they are very privileged, because, in this time, they managed to keep collective experience which is a little bit more difficult maybe in European culture, because here (in Europe) is so strong individuality.  Asian choirs are good also because they can keep the number, and working discipline.  And homogeneous operation within the choir is so excellent, well, that's why they are good in everything, in what they do.  

But, maybe, they can improve a little bit the way how they understand art and aesthetics of our time, because sometimes, I can see that they are leaning into direction which is a little bit, for my opinion, too much of sweet pop aesthetics.  Not thinking of other ways of expression, and language they use is too much into one direction sometimes.  It's excellent, but it does not represent all emotions and the broadest range of being human, what we are.  It's too much into the nice.  Is it clear?

J: Yes, very clear.  Thank you very much for your words.  I promised you, it's only a 10-minute interview, and now (looking at watch) it's 10 minutes (laughs).
​
K: Okay!  Please stay in touch, and let's do some talks some other time.

John Pamintuan (J): Hello, sir Jojo!  How are you?
Jonathan Velasco (V): Hi!

J: How have you been busy these days, these weeks during lockdown?

V: The past three months, I have been... well, I have tried to busy myself with several virtual choir projects of the Ateneo Chamber Singers (ACS).  I think we had about three, there's still one going on.  And also, I have taken violin lessons from the University of the Philippines College of Music Extension Program.  So, we just transferred online, I mean the lessons.  I'm not giving lessons, I'm TAKING lessons.  I'm a beginner in violin, so that's something new for me.  Otherwise, there's no choral work, because it's not allowed.
​
I've been trying to keep busy because it's so difficult if suddenly you're attacked by boredom in the house and the time stretches too much.  So, one tries to keep very busy.
​
J: But beginning next week, I hear that the government will allow mass gatherings in the Philippines.  Will you start with your choir rehearsals next week?
​
V: I don't think so.  I think my choir has released information that we will not start face to face rehearsals until a vaccine has been found, or, that it's really, really safe, because my choir members are not so young (giggles).

J: Hahahaha.
V: It's very... it's very... it's too dangerous.
J: It's very risky.
V: Yes, very risky, specially, yes.

J: Okay, so I called today because I want to ask you some things.  You have been invited for so many years as a jury, not only in Asia, but also in Europe, and other parts of the world.  So, you have this very wide range of experience listening to Asian, as well as non-Asian choirs.  I want to ask you: as a member of the jury, what do you expect from a choir during the competition?

V: Uhm, you know, even if the competitions are quite varied in terms of the choirs joining them -- there are competitions where you will find the choirs to be very high-caliber, because they are chosen before entering that competition, and there are competitions where the choirs are... the standards are not so high because anybody can join that competition, or that category -- so, even with these varied levels of the choir, the adjudication process is... well, it boils down to two basic things: judging them technically, and judging them artistically.

One would expect a certain level of technical ability in a choir when it comes to intonation, etc.  Also, from the artistic aspect, you would see the interpretation of a certain piece, being done correctly or incorrectly (laughs).  And aside from these two factors, there is of course the sense of over-all performance quality -- so, how did the choir perform as a whole? how did it affect you, or how did it strike you, with their performance, also with their over-all sound, and all these things.  

With these criteria set, these are more or less the standard version for adjudicating everywhere, EVERYWHERE, as in everywhere.

But there are differences, of course, for example, there is the folk category that is quite difficult to adjudicate, only because the choirs that join here have different... they come from different cultures.  So, what is beautiful for one culture, may not be beautiful for another. And there you are as an adjudicator, and you have to say, "this will win first prize because this (musically) looks more beautiful (?) than the other one (?)"  It's really not so good practice to judge the folklore, but, since the sponsors are asking for it, then one has to adjudicate.  But it's really very, very difficult.
​
Aside from that, for the other categories it's quite simple.  it's just that the number of choirs are a lot (laughs) so, that makes it a little interesting because sometimes the category would involve several days, like three days.  Then you will have to say, "a choir from a third-day presentation, is it better not better than a choir from the first day?"  These little things make life as an adjudicator more interesting (laughs).  I think those as the standards for adjudicating everywhere.

J: Wow, thank you very much for that very thorough explanation.
V: Yes.

J: Now, I want to ask you a second question.  Twenty years ago, we were in a team in the Ateneo College Glee Club, where you first ventured as a conductor joining an international competition.  And also, it set history, because you won in all of the competitions that we joined in.  Well, WE won in all of the competitions.  But of course, that was twenty years ago, and now, twenty years later, you are laden with much more experience.  If you would look back to how we did our performance before, what are the things that you think you can change, to improve our performance, based on your experience now as a jury in many competitions?

V: It has something to do with... number one, with programming.  Because we were all, as they say in German, "jung und dumm" (young and stupid) (laughs), we were, or I was, maybe we were, in the choir also, we were trying to impress, rather than express.  We chose pieces according to their degree of being so impressionable upon the judges, that they would be shocked that we could do these things, etc.  It was always trying to impress, and now I find myself doing music that is more for telling the world, or the audience: this is what we want to contribute in terms of music; this is what we want you to hear because we come from a different culture; and this is the culture from the southern part of our country, not because it is impressive, but because it is very musical, and I think we should perform it for you.

That changed in me.

And that also would be one of the things that I would change if I were to program.  I remember, in one competition that we did, we were included in the finals of that competition and they asked us, "what are you going to sing?"  And then I had to choose on the spot.  The choir volunteered, "oh, we could sing this... we could sing that,"  and I said, "No... because that's slow (laughs)," or, "that's boring, I think, for the judges, and we only have ten minutes to sing, and we have to impress."  Impress, always impress... 

So, if I were to change anything, I would probably change that: what do I include in the program, and how do I make the program-flow more interesting for us, singers, and for the audience.  

Janis Liepins is one of the rising orchestral conductors in Europe, having been recently appointed as the Erste (first) Kapellmeister of the Nationaltheater Mannheim, after being the chief conductor of the award-winning Youth Choir "Kamer" from Latvia.

His attention was brought to me by Vytautas Miskinis in 2014, when we were in Latvia adjudicating for the World Choir Games.  Janis went to visit the hotel we were staying in, and when he was getting some wine from the restaurant, Vytautas said, "this young boy, he is so talented.  He won in the conducting competition where I was in the jury."

Vytautas was referring to the Teodors Reiters Choral Conducting Competition and Janis remembers this "stressful experience" very well.  It was stressful, but, very fulfilling.  It was maybe the first push in his career that made him follow his path as a conductor.  Before that, he wasn't sure what he wanted in the future... as long as it was related to music.
​
The competition was in three parts.  The first part, you conducted in front of two pianos.  Then the jury picked out 12-16 people to go to the second stage, working with a choir.  He had 10-15 minutes to rehearse the choir with a song that was assigned the prior evening by lottery.  He was still in high school that time, around 18 years old, already involved with Youth Choir "Kamer" with Maris Sirmais as his teacher.  The competition was a good way to know one's strength, a gauge to know what you are capable of.  He was supposed to apply to the same contest 1 or 2 years before but he wasn't allowed because he was too young.

Officially, he was already assistant conductor of Kamer that time, but he didn't conduct a lot of songs during concerts.  He was mostly like a choirmaster.  For example, if Maris wanted to learn a difficult piece with the choir, he would split the work between himself and Janis, and they would work with either the male or female voice groups, so that the rehearsal process became more efficient.

Janis always felt that he was doing real work with Maris because he knew about Kamer even before joining the group.  He thought that Kamer was a great choir and it was an honor and big responsibility to work there.  The first big project that he worked on, not only regarding the choir's history, but also the global choral movement, was the World Sun Songs.  There, he felt that his input was very meaningful because he got to work with the people involved in the choir, and in the production.

During the time he was assistant conductor, Janis was younger than most members of Kamer.  The older members thought that they were wiser than the young assistant conductor, whom they thought, needed to earn their respect.  It was a problem for Janis specially during his first year, because he felt the singers were testing him, mostly how he reacts to their taunts.  The difficult part was when Maris was away for one month and Janis had to do all the rehearsals by himself.  That time, they were learning the Alfred Schnittke Choir Symphony.  The piece divides the choir into four groups, a huge score, and was way too difficult for him.  But he had to "power" himself through it, and was able to organize and accomplish the rehearsals.  It was a good training like throwing one's self into water, like you were fighting for your life.

In a way, he was fighting for their respect.

After "powering" through these challenges and earning the respect of the "older" singers in Kamer, Janis' first major contribution as an assistant conductor was during his bachelor's degree exam at the music academy.  Janis conducted a two-part concert, with a cappella songs, and Puccini's Messa di Gloria with orchestra.  Maris was not involved in this program so much.  He was more like a bystander.  He looked at the process, how Janis prepared the choir during rehearsal and just helped with some suggestions, but he was not actively involved.  This might have been the revelation for Maris, that he thought he can trust Janis with Kamer.

The concert was, of course, a success, as were the following years that Janis became the chief conductor of Kamer.  He brought the choir to another peak in its history, in a short time, winning many international awards, which is common knowledge for us.
​
Janis always had a dream of trying to do more, and explore different possibilities in conducting.  He always thought that if he stayed in one position, it would make him stagnant, although he did not have clear plans of becoming an orchestra conductor.  He just followed his life, and his fate.  He received invitations as a guest conductor for orchestras while he was working with Kamer and accepted these later on.  He also received an offer to work as conductor of the Latvian National Opera.
​
At one point, Janis felt that he needed to balance his life equally, although it was more like being pulled from two different directions: choir and orchestra. He thought that if he really wanted to become good at something, he should try to focus a bit more on just one aspect of his career.  This philosophy might have been one of the reasons why he decided to let go of Kamer and focus more at the Latvian National Opera.

He also had worked for 12 years with Kamer: 6 years as assistant conductor, and 6 years as chief conductor.  And although he loved the singers very much, he felt that he wasn't anymore sure if he could bring something new to the table.  Kamer was an amateur choir, and at one point, one could only do some much with amateurs.  He cannot ask them to act like professionals who go to rehearsal every day, because they had different jobs during the day.

​Janis' agent asked him if he wanted to audition in Mannheim, Germany.  It was quite a difficult time because he had a new production at the Latvian Opera, but he went anyway.  He was only given a 30-minute rehearsal with the orchestra in Mannheim, as they held this audition for many applicants.  There were other conductors when he came.  After this 30-minute rehearsal, they wanted him to be a guest conductor, to do one performance from their usual repertoire.  They picked only 3 or 4 guest conductors.  In a way, it was like a small conducting competition.

The organizers assigned Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, and this was a concert performance, not an opera.  They could have picked anything, so Janis felt quite lucky to be assigned this piece because it was a wonderful, majestic, epic piece, although he had not conducted this piece before and only sang in the boys' choir part previously.  He prepared very well for this, but what was incredible was the fact that they didn't offer any rehearsal.  They told him to just come and do the concert.

He arrived at Nationaltheater Mannheim, put on his tailcoat, and just went on the stage and saw this huge orchestra, this huge choir, and more than 1,000 people in the audience.  Janis shook the hand of the concert master and then started conducting, although he never met these people before in his life.

Janis Liepins knew it was the final part of the audition.  
​
After the concert, he was conferred the position of Erste Kapellmeister of the Nationaltheater Mannheim.

video above, Janis conducting Kamer in 2011

Janis as guest conductor at the Taipei International Choral Festival 2019

​At 11am Japan time.
John Pamintuan (J): Good morning, Ko. How are you?
Ko Matsushita (K): I'm a bit tired and yesterday evening I had a little fever.
J: Oh...
K: Little bit.
J: Me also, I do not wake up in the morning. I wake up at 12 o'clock noon
K: Mm... Yesterday?
J: No. Everyday. Hahaha.
K: What time do you go to bed?
J: Maybe 4 o'clock
K: It's probably difficult. Composer's life.
J: Yeah. It's very hard to fall asleep.
K: Me, too.
J: Yes, I know. I asked you before. As a composer, maybe the mind is very active and it's hard to fall asleep.
K: Yeah.
J: So, I want to ask you. You know, this interview is about the mystery of Ko Matsushita.
K: (laughs) What does mystery mean?
J: People think you are mysterious.
K: Whyyyyyyyyyy?
J: I don't know. Maybe they want to know more things about you, that's why. If you don't know something, it's mysterious.  So, I will ask you very simple questions
K: Ok
J: Sometimes people like to know very simple things and it makes them know you more. Example, where were you born? What place in Japan?
K: Oh, ok. I was born in Tokyo. Not center of Tokyo. The city name is Musashino.
J: How about when you were growing up? Did you stay in Musashino City?
K: Yes, until I was 5th grade of elementary school. From 6th grade, I changed to Hachioji.

J: Oh Hachioji. Some time ago, you told me that your mother lives near Mt. Fuji.
K: Yes, yes.  My parents lived by the mountains after my father's retirement.  Before that, they lived in Hachioji with their family.
J: What is the name of that place?
K: Not by Mt. Fuji, but by the mountain, "Yatsugatake." It's very, very beautiful mountain. This mountain has eight tops. "Yatsu" means eight.
J: Ah...because I want to know the influence you had when you were a child. The influences which made you start composing music.
K: The very first time, I forgot. But my mom said, that I said I want to play the piano when I was five years old. So, I went to the lesson of the piano. I remember there was a second floor of the dentist. (Reminiscing fondly with a smile on his face) There was one very young and very cute teacher. She taught me piano. And someday, she told my parents, "Oh, maybe Ko has talent. You should bring Ko to the music school."
J: Oh...
K: Not only regular elementary school, but also a music school. In Tokyo, there is one of the very famous and very strict music school under the music university. I took the exam, and somehow, I...
J: Katsu! (winner!)
K: Katta! I passed! Yes, I went to this music school during my elementary and junior high school. I went to elementary school Monday to Saturday, and after the classes of Saturday, I went to music school. Only Saturday. And probably Wednesday, or Thursday, I went to the piano teacher.
And another one day, I remember it was Tuesday, I went to study sight singing or dictation. Solfege.
J: Did you join chorus in elementary or junior high school?
K: No, no chorus. I'm not interested.
J: Hahahaha. You never joined chorus even in university?
K: Before that, I should tell you about my history in my childhood.  Actually, when I was 2nd grade of junior high school, my piano teacher said, "You should quit from the music world. Because you don't have any talent."
J: Hahaha. She is wrong.
K: Hahaha. So, I had to quit from the piano teacher and also from the music school. And I lost my hope.
J: Oh...
K: I entered one high school in Tokyo and very fortunately met a music teacher in the high school.  The music teacher was a very good person.  He invited me strongly.  "You should be in the chorus.  Choir."
J: Ah...
K: Until then, this high school choir was a female choir. But this teacher wants it to be a mixed choir, SATB. That's why I'm chosen. And every day, every time, he followed me. "Ko, please join us. Please join us." Even so, I entered, but still I didn't like choral music.  I had to take the competition. NHK. You know NHK.
J: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
K: NHK student choral competition. I stood on the stage and I sang with my colleagues, my friends. It's the very first time to have such kind of... I'm very touched. And, I changed my mind and I loved choral music, and so on. This is very funny story.
This teacher quit from this high school when I went to the 2nd grade of the high school. He changed to another high school. We lost the good teacher and I had to be the conductor, because we lost the conductor. The next teacher was very young, just graduated from the music college and she knows nothing. So, my friends said, "Ko, you should be the conductor."
That's why it started my conducting life. And so, the teacher changed to another high school. He raised me. In his next high school, he raised another person. This person is Nobunaga. We have the same teacher.
J: Ah... The teacher inspired you and Takatomi Nobunaga. (Takatomi Nobunaga is also a famous Japanese composer for choral music.)
But he did not study music.
K: Ah, yes. Yes.
J: He only learned by himself how to write. But you, after that high school, you went to music college. Kunitachi.
K: Kunitachi. Yes.

​J: What did you study?
K: I was in the composition class. After I met choral music, I wanted to be some musician.
J: Hahaha, some musician.
K: Hahaha. Actually, I wanted to be a choral conductor. I was looking for the choral conducting class of the music college, or music university in Japan. But there were no choral conducting class. Some of the college had orchestral conducting, but not choral conducting. That's why I decided: "Ok, I should go to composition class."
J: But you know, your piano playing skill is good. How advance did you study piano?
K: Yes. Actually, my piano teacher taught me only Beethoven, Mozart, Bach. And sometimes Brahms. It's finished. No French music. No Scandinavian music. Just German music. It's very...
J: One dimension.
K: Yes, yes. But after I met choral music, so many patterns, so many styles I learned from choral music. I'm influenced from, especially the writing way of the piano, maybe French: Debussy, or Ravel; or Akira Miyoshi.
J: Ah... That was my next question. When you were a composition student, did any Japanese composer influence you that time?
K: Yes. Akira Miyoshi. And not so famous outside of Japan, Saburo Takata. He is a Catholic. So, he wrote many, many church music, I'll show you. (He goes to the library)
J: (Catholicism is not very famous in Japan, that's why we say of note, that Takata san is a Catholic.)
K: (shows book) This is almost all of Takata's piece.
J: Akira Miyoshi is one of the well-known Japanese composers, and he has developed this very fantastic modernist technique.
K: And he was influenced from French music. Actually, he was not studying music in Japanese university. He graduated from Tokyo University, Mathematics, or Chemical, or I don't know. Literature, I don't know. And after that, he went to Paris, and studied in the conservatory.
J: I think many Japanese composers have been influenced by French music.
K: (whispers) YEEEEAAAAH!
J: Even Japanese pianists, they love French music.
K: How about in your country?
J: I don't know. Hahaha. I think many. You know, Philippines is at the center of many Asian countries, and we were also under Spanish, and American. There are many choices.
K: If the music student wants to study in Europe, which country do they go?
J: All different. Germany, Italy, Holland. not only one. The vocal majors mostly go to the United States.
K: Ah yes, yes. I think so. Is it good?
J: I think the method of teaching in the United States is very modern and not traditional like European. in American schools, they teach more science, the parts, the functions, very analytic. 
So, after Kunitachi, you went further studies in Hungary. What is the reason why you wanted to study in Hungary? Why did you choose Hungary?
K: So, because of one concert in Tokyo. One day, I went to the concert of the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir, conducted by my teacher, Remenyi Janos. It's first time to hear the choir for me. But I'm very surprised, and touched. So, after the concert, I visited the back stage and I asked him, please, I will be your student.
J: Ah...
K: And he told me, "Ok, if you can come to Budapest, it's ok."  And after that I learned the Hungarian language in Tokyo, and 2 years later I went to Budapest.
J: With your whole family?
K: Yes.
J: And your children were still young that time?
K: Yeah, 2 years old.
J: Oh, wow. Did they go to school in Hungary?
K: Kindergarten. My wife studied piano teaching under the wife of Kocsar Miklos. She is a very good teacher, and my wife was very happy. My son went to kindergarten every day and after one year, my son is a top-level Hungarian speaker, hahaha!
J: Hahaha. But now your son is an Engineer.
K: Yes, in Hitachi company.
J: He did not become a musician.
K: When he was a student of high school, once, he asked me, "Hmm, I want to learn the double bass." And he studied under a very, very famous star player, Japanese. But he didn't like him and he stopped.
J: Your daughter now has a YouTube vlog; I saw her cooking.
K: Hahahahahaha
J: So, your children pursued different interests.
K: Hahaha, yes.
J: What is your favorite food?
K: Actually, this is a difficult question, haha. I have lots of favorite foods, such as…Sushi, Yakiniku, Teppanyaki, Ramen, Soba (Japanese noodle), Beef-noodle (Taiwanese), Goulash soup (Hungarian), Steak tartar, etc.

J: Your favorite drink?
K: Japanese Sake, Beer, Coffee
J: Your hobbies? Not about music.
K: I’m an aviation enthusiast, railfan.
J: Can you cook?
K: Yes. I like cook Chinese foods, especially stir-fried dishes.
J: Your favorite countries?
K: Hungary and Taiwan. My unforgettable areas are Fjord in Norway and Corsica.
J: Let's go back to music.  So, this influence of children's choir in your life, did it lead you to have plans for the future? Like now you have this Minamino children's choir and you use your techniques from Hungary in teaching this choir. This time in your life, did this greatly influence you? Example, you write a lot of children's music, you have a children's choir.
K: Actually, I have so many jobs now. Not only conducting, but also composing, and organization things. So, I'm operating some festivals, as you know. Very recently, we just started Asian Choral Association. But every time, every day, I want to be a musician. Not producer. Not CEO. Not adjudicator. Not lecturer. 
I am very sad I lost the chance of performing Britten's War Requiem. We're supposed to have it in March, but postponed to beginning of August. Now, it's cancelled. But I want to have it again, one or two years later.
J: Hmmm yeah. Also, you know, in Japan, it's very difficult to cancel, because everybody expects you to follow the agreement.
K: Yeah. About my choir, I think it's a very meaningful job to have a children's choir. That's why I like to continue teaching the children's choir. You know the Japanese society doesn't like choral music.
J: Hahaha
K: Choral music is not so smart, they think. Brass band, and dancing team is very cool, but choral music is not smart.
J: Who are thinking this: the parents, or the children?
K: Society, especially children, because choral music is living in only the school classes. Not religious thing, not for faith, not for praying. Only for school, and every school has the school choral competition. Every class performs in this competition, and they decide the gold medal, silver medal.
That's why so many people are thinking that choral music is for students or mom. Mom's choir.
J: Yeah. It's very famous in Japan, Mama san chorus.
K: Yes, Mama san chorus.
J: They have their own festival. Because when the children grow up, the mothers at home do not have a hobby, so they join a chorus.
K: Yes, yes, yes, that's right.
J: How about your wife? Is she a member of a chorus now?
K: Yes, she is singing under the conducting of Emi.
J: Ah, yes. Emi is your assistant conductor for many choirs.
K: Yes, and Emi is main conductor of my wife's choir, Lilycal. Lily is the flower of Hachioji.
J: How many choirs do you have now?
K: (After thinking for a long while) Now? Mainly, twelve.
J: OMG, so many.
K: 3 mixed, 2 men's, 6 women's, and 1 children.
J: Wow! Do you have enough time to teach all of them?
K: No.
Both: Hahahaha
K: That's why I have several assistant conductors like Emi and Haruka. Haruka is chief of ICCC (International Choral Composition Competition). She is very good conductor.
J: Yes, your students are very good conductors.
K: Thank you very much, yes, I think so.
J: How about now, during the time of COVID, I know you have many organization things, but do you still write music this time?
K: Yes!
J: How many pieces do you write in one year?
K: One year? Like you (laughs), so many!
I write the suite very much. One suite has 4, 5, 6 pieces. If I count these pieces, one suite, five pieces, probably, I'm writing 30 pieces a year. 20, 30.
J: Wow, that's about 2 or 3 pieces every month.
K: Yes, yes.
J: That is aside from your organization work as CEO, and conductor of 12 choirs. You still have time to write 2 or 3 pieces every month. Very busy! I think you are one of my busiest friends, that when we invite you to go for adjudication, we have to ask you more than one year in advance.
So, my final question for you today: what do you think is the future of Asian choral music?
K: I don't know the actual situation of the composers' level of each country. I think the composers' level should increase, go up. I want to say, "Please, be interested in choral music."
J: Yes. We hope that the young people write more choral music. That's why you have ICCC, to encourage many young composers to write choral music.
K: And basically, Asian choral music wants to be very... gaiety. (Mimics shouting and ruckus movements). The end of the piece, all of the piece, same (flamboyant finish), hahaha!
The contemporary poet should write lyrics for choral music. Meaningful and not gaiety.
J: Not loud, but reflective.
K: Yes.
J: So, thank you very much for your time this morning. Your interview is very important. Many people will read the interview.
K: Ok, thank you!

video above shows a virtual choir of over 300 children from Japan and Hong Kong, singing Ko Matsushita's "Horane"

​Nelson Kwei brought the above three guys to a crab restaurant after the competitions.  Before Ko's flight to Japan that night, another obligatory photo was taken and captioned by Johnny, "Asia Choral Alliance." 

​In 2016, the four friends met again at the Taipei International Choral Festival, made some future plans, and true enough, were brought together in Cebu, Philippines during the first edition of the Asian Choral Masters 2017.

Aida Swenson is another story.  Aida's and John's paths have been crossing for the past decade since John's birthday dinner in Manila 2009.  They met again in Manado 2010; Hoi an, Tondano, and Newfoundland 2011; Cincinnati, Manado, and Jakarta 2012; Murung Raya and Manado 2013; Riga and Taipei 2014; Taipei 2015; Chiang Mai 2016; Kaimana 2017.  Nelson also attended the same dinner in Manila 2009, and was in Riga 2014, and Chiang Mai 2016.  Johnny was in Cincinnati 2012, and is music director of the annual international choral festival in Taipei;

And in 2018, Ko, Aida, Nelson, Johnny, and John were finally together at the 1st Taipei International Choral Competition.  

Photos of our meeting. 
L: First meeting on 22 May 2020
R: First general assembly on 26 June 2020

video from ACA founder, Johnny Ku

Welcome to Spotlight!

Spotlight is the official newsletter of the Asian Choral Association (ACA) and is published quarterly, featuring famous choral personalities and their activities, interesting choral tips, and helpful insights in the practice of our life's work. 

William Shakespeare aptly describes the world in his poem:

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

The only thing missing is a "spotlight," a metonymy, if you will, for the whole world that is essayed in the above poem, the personalities and their colorful characters, all interwoven in the performance, called life.