Social Contribution Activities UBE Classical Concert

Since 2008, UBE has been inviting the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra to Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the Company was founded, to hold a classical music concert with a full orchestra. The goal is to contribute to the development of local culture through music based on UBE’s founding principle of coexistence and mutual prosperity.

18th UBE Classical Concert

In July 2025, we invited the conductor Toshiaki Umeda to UBE’s Head Office to participate in a conversation with President Nishida prior to this year’s concert, which will be the 18th in this series.

In addition to explaining the appeal of the upcoming concert, the two also shared a calm dialogue on the values shared by communities and companies through the lens of music, such as comparing the roles of an orchestra conductor and a company president.

Special Discussion between President Nishida and Mr. Toshiaki Umeda (Conductor)

Discussion Article (PDF: 394 KB) (Japanese only)

Discussion Video (YouTube)

Discussion Video: UBE Classic Concert 2025 Special Discussion

Concert Outline

Flyer (PDF: 2.8 MB) (Japanese Only)

Date and Time	October 12 (Sunday) 13:10 Venue Opens 14:00 Concert Begins 15:45 Concert Ends (subject to change)
Venue	Ube City Watanabe Memorial Hall
Performers	Conductor: Toshiaki Umeda Soloist (horn): Sekitoshi Nobusue Orchestra: the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
Pieces	Mozart / Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492 Mozart / Horn Concerto No. 1 in D Major, K. 412/386b Mozart / Horn Concerto No. 3 in E Flat Major, K. 447 Dvorak / Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", B. 178

Event Overview

UBE Classical Concert

To improve the music culture of local communities and help nurture the next generation, UBE has invited the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra to perform a concert of classical music at the Watanabe Memorial Hall in Ube, Yamaguchi every year since 2008.

This concert contains an original setlist that UBE, as the main sponsor, participated in selecting and deciding on the order of performance. Employees have been working together as one to ensure a smooth process from initial planning all the way through management on the day of the event, creating a special place for the community and the Company to act in harmony. This concert receives additional support from cooperating private citizens, local governments, and public interest groups, reflecting a collaborative spirit encompassing the entire community. (Partners: (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation) Watanabe Memorial Culture Association, Ube Music Appreciation Society. Supporters: Ube City, Ube Board of Education, Ube Culture Creation Foundation, Ube Nippo, tys TV Yamaguchi, FMY FM Yamaguchi, FM Kirara)

In addition, the Group company Libertas Ube, Ltd. has, with the cooperation of the Ube-city Council of the Social Work, has undertaken an initiative to invite persons with disabilities to the dress rehearsal of this concert. This was done with the goal of providing those who feel uneasy about attending the concert on the formal performance date with a chance to experience the music. Moreover, as part of our efforts to create a concert that everyone can enjoy with peace of mind, we worked alongside PIONEER CORPORATION to install haptic sound systems so that persons with auditory disabilities can experience the music as well.

※Haptic sound systems operated by PIONEER CORPORATION are currently not in use.

Since 2022, in line with the basic concept "Together with Residents, Together with Music," we have been making sweeping renewals to the content offered through this project, with a focus on children's education and the promotion of music culture among the next generation. Our hope is that through this performance we are able to spark an interest, however small, in classical music among the young people who will become leaders for the next generation, and to this end we waive all fees for the elementary and junior high school students from the cities of Ube, Sanyoonoda, and Mine that we invite to attend each year. In addition, we have donated the proceeds from ticket sales to improve local music culture since the very first concert, and we maintain an ongoing program under which we donate instruments to support the activities of junior high school brass bands. We will continue to conduct activities to support the enhancement of music culture.

Moreover, we will hold our annual friendship concert at a hospital on the day before the event to provide patients with an opportunity to heal through music. In fiscal 2025, we will also hold a "lobby concert" in Ube City Hall's Civic Center to allow a broad range of community members to enjoy music free of charge.

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History of UBE Classical Concert

Music clinic and mini-concerts

• On the day before the UBE Classical Concert, instructors from the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra are invited to conduct a music clinic in which they instruct brass band students on their instruments. They also give a mini concert by themselves and a joint concert with junior high school students. These events are held in classrooms and gymnasiums at junior high schools in Ube City. They are organized by the Watanabe Memorial Culture Association with the cooperation of UBE Corporation. In 2020 and 2021, the music clinics were changed to a remote* format to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Face-to-face instruction allows the instructors to check the sound and condition of the instruments while remote instruction has the advantage of being able to tailor the instruction to each individual’s challenges. UBE is cooperating fully in the organization of these events associated with the UBE Classical Concert, including the use of its human capital.

  • *One-on-one lessons using the online conferencing tool Zoom

  Comments from students

  • I am glad that I was able to play beautifully in the joint performance after the clinic because I learned better how to produce sound and how to play musically. (Horn, 2nd year junior high school student)
  • I had never been able to produce high notes, but after being taught, I was able to do it for the first time. I am very satisfied. (Trumpet, 1st year junior high school student)

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The 10th UBE Classical Concert — Commemorative Concert

The conductor of the 2017 concert, the 10th anniversary concert, was Sachio Fujioka, who wielded the baton for the second time in four years. The soloist was Ayako Uehara, a talented pianist who won the first prize in the piano section of the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition. She performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64. At the beginning of the concert, Mr. Fujioka, the conductor, provided musical commentary and introduced Ms. Uehara. Ms. Hiromi Shoji of Libertas Ube, Ltd. served as sign language interpreter. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 was the most requested piece on the previous year’s visitor questionnaire. This piece was also in the news when figure skater Mao Asada used it in her free program at the Sochi Olympics.

This masterpiece is known as a difficult piano piece, but Ms. Uehara played it with overwhelming technical mastery and an intense touch as if she were possessed by something. With the dazzling beauty of the high notes and a thrilling and earnest battle with the orchestra, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime performance.

On this occasion, Ms. Uehara gave an encore, which is unusual for a soloist. The encore piece was Tchaikovsky’s Méditation. It was an entrancing solo piano performance.

After a 20-minute intermission, the second half was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. Mr. Fujioka said, “I am happy to perform the No. 5 for the first time with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. The Japan Philharmonic’s dynamic sound makes it the best orchestra in Japan for Russian music.” Just as he had said, the performance was dynamic, full of grandeur and intonation. Regarding the fourth movement in particular, Mr. Fujioka declared, “I hope the performance will be something out of the ordinary, as if the devil himself were in the music,” and true to his word, the piece came to a grand conclusion with an unearthly sound.

The encore was the second movement Waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. The enchanting rhythm was intoxicating, as if it had cast a spell on the audience.

To commemorate the 10th concert, two premium events were held on the same day before the main performance: (1) an orchestra talk and instrument hands-on experience, and (2) a dress rehearsal observation.

1. The orchestra talk and instrument hands-on experience was attended by 35 people. Japan Philharmonic Executive Director and viola player Yuji Goto gave an interesting explanation of the orchestra’s composition and how the instruments work. The hands-on experience with musical instruments was a lot of fun, as some participants were able to experience the delight of playing a violin for the first time.
2. For the dress rehearsal observation, 100 lottery winners and 30 children with disabilities from Ube General Special Needs School and other special-needs schools (including their guardians and accompanying adults) were invited to observe the final rehearsal before the performance. Once again, for the benefit of the hearing-impaired, five seats with a sensory sound system were prepared for use during the dress rehearsal and the main performance with the cooperation of Pioneer Corporation and Libertas Ube, Ltd.

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Friendship concerts were held at Yamaguchi University Hospital and Ube-kohsan Central Hospital on the day before the main performance. Previously, the friendship concerts featured a string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello), but for the first time, the audience enjoyed a woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn). In addition, the Tanpopo Concert was also held at the Ube-kohsan Central Hospital in order to allow the general public as well as patients to attend. The concert was fully attended, drawing 130 people. On the same day, a community concert was held at Higashikiwa Junior High School as part of a project of the Watanabe Memorial Culture Association (whose representative director at the time was Michio Takeshita). The concert featured eight members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and junior high school students from Ube City (Higashikiwa Jr. High, Nishikiwa Jr. High, and Konan Jr. High).

The first part, a music clinic, was attended by 118 brass band club members from three junior high schools in the city. Divided into trumpet, trombone, horn, tuba, clarinet, flute, and percussion classes, the students were warmly instructed on their individual instruments by members of the Japan Philharmonic.

The second part was a mini-concert open to the public. The Japan Philharmonic Orchestra gave a brass quintet performance as well as a joint performance with junior high school students. The piece for the joint performance had previously been The High School Cadets, but this was the first time it was changed to Ghibli Songs. The 330 audience members applauded loudly.