Happy new year, everyone!
Tiger(last year's zodiac) has left and Rabbit is the this year' zodiac.
I wish you all a very good year!


Oh, I have to leave to Amsterdam now.

These are traditional Japanese New Year foods, Osechi-ryori.The dishes that make up osechi each have a special meaning celebrating the New Year. Tomorrow morning I have to take a flight to Amsterdam, so we all eat this nice meal together tonight.



Thank you all again for this year. See you next year.

To spend the christmas vacation with my family, I flew back to Tokyo.
Due to severe weather I was stuck !24hours! standing in the line to wait my flight at Charle de Gaulle airport in Paris. Horrible!!! I will never take Air France and use Charle de Gaulle airport. Their treatment was even colder than the weather outside.

A christmas tree in Tokyo Midtown, anyway I managed to reach to Tokyo just in time for christmas.
Thank God, have a merry christmas, everyone.

American ambassdor Fay Hartog Levin hosted a holiday reception at her residence in The Hague.
We, CvA BRASS welcomed the guests at the gate playing Christmas tunes. Among the guests were Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal and Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Economic Affairs Verhagen, as well as Mayor van Aartsen from The Hague and Mayor Hoekema from Wassenaar.


We also played inside as an encore.


with her excellency ambassdor Fay Hartog Levin

I joined very nice concert by Shonan Association of Trombonists,
played in the ensemble( can you find me?) as well as

a solistic appearance.



taking a bow to the fully packed enthusiastic audience.

Ginkgo trees in Gaien, Tokyo.

The orchestra's Korea-Japan tour has just started. We have two concerts in seoul.

stayed at Imperial Palace Hotel Seoul.

Just before the orchestra's Korea-Japan tour, we travelld to Vienna for a concert with our chief conductor
Mariss Jansons at Musikverein.

RCO Brass is invited by the European Central Bank to play at Dutch cultural day in Frankfurt.
photo by R.Knaap

photo by R.Knaap

DKDM Brass (Royal Danish Conservatory) from Copenhagen is visiting Amsterdam for the lunch concert in Thomas church and the other activities.


In the evening, they are rehearsaling at the Bimhuis.