Tuam Japanese teacher helps with concert for earthquake victims

By TOM GILMORE A JAPANESE teacher, Yutaka Shimizu, who is currently working at Tuam's Mercy Convent and Presentation College secondary schools, is one of the organisers of a music concert in Loughrea in aid of those in his homeland who were hit by the recent earthquake and tsunami.[private] All funds from the concert will go towards the relief work by the Japanese Red Cross Society. Others involved include Hisashi Kumagai, a chef living in Craughwell and who works in the Doonbeg Hotel in Clare while one of the performers on the concert is violinist Yuki Nishioka. 'All the other acts are Irish and they include the well-known pianist Finghin Collins, the Contempo Quartet and the Sunus Chamber Choir, conducted by Audry Corbett,' says Yutaka. While Yutaka's family in Japan are safe, as they live in the southern area of Mie, far away from where the tsunami struck, he added that their home was still hit by a tremor, but it did not suffer any major damage. But the Sendai area is where so much of the devastation took place and Yutaka says he feels that it important that they try and help the Japanese Red Cross to help those hit by the disaster. He added that he has friends near Kobe, where a major earthquake struck in 1996, and from speaking to them he is very aware of how terrible it is to have to live through such a situation. Pianist Finghin Collins from Dublin, who is in the Loughrea concert, is a seasoned international performer. Over the past decade he has performed in many of the world's major musical centres, collaborating with the finest orchestras and conductors. In September 2010 he made his second appearance at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, performing with the BBC Philharmonic. He has also recorded two double CDs of Schumann's piano music, winning numerous awards for those recordings. He was appointed as the first ever Associate Artist with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for three seasons, commencing last September. The Loughrea concert, titled Music For Japan, is in the Loughrea Hotel and Spa on June 11. It starts at 7.30 and tickets are €20 for adults or €10 for children, they can be booked in advance from 091-880088 or you can pay at the door on the night.[/private]