A total of 10 international participants from China (Beijing and Shanghai), South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, and 9 from Germany’s BDLO, took part in the 53rd Amateur Orchestra Festival in Fukui, organized by the Japan Amateur Orchestra Association (JAO) and held in Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture.
(Click here for the full event report.)

During the festival, seven of these participants joined a brief two-question interview.
Although they were meeting for the first time, their words were filled with the joy and sense of connection that music creates beyond language and borders.

“While conflicts continue to spread around the world, here we are, making music together in peace. For me, this is the most deeply moving experience of all,”
said a participant from Germany (BDLO), speaking with quiet conviction and sincerity.

Across the world, there are still countless friends we have yet to meet.
May exchanges like this – born of music and shared humanity – continue to grow quietly yet steadfastly, spreading ever wider until gentle, peaceful days return to our world.

We hold a heartfelt wish that this humble endeavor, however small, may become a tiny bridge toward lasting peace.
And we dream of a not-so-distant day when our planet itself will resound – its people united in one vast, harmonious symphony.

We are deeply grateful to the seven participants who opened their hearts and shared their words.