The Power of Being Together

 

　　The history of the Suzuki movement is lined with milestones. The first video from the 1950s, with hundreds of children playing the Bach Double, was the first milestone, and it opened the door to the development of the Suzuki Philosophy in the entire world beyond Japan. What we have experienced in London is equally one of those incredible ‘stellar moments’, to quote from the writer Stefan Zweig. These milestones set a new point, creating a dialogue with the past and also opening a door to new possibilities in the future.

　　It was an incredible thought to meet 1300 children and teachers from different parts of the world who were planning to gather for this unique event. Everything was ready and calendars were marked for 2020… And yet throughout the pandemic, the flame of hope was kept alive: we would wait, and somehow, we knew that we would be together again. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the BSMA and the entire Gala Committee who worked tirelessly and with incredible vision and energy - first for having imagined, planned and brought all this to fruition, and then to imagine it once again, replan and make it into an incredible reality.
 
　　It was my great pleasure and privilege to lead one of the Playtogethers at the Royal College of Music, together with my dear friend Jan Matthiesen from Denmark. We had first met in 1998 in Matsumoto during preparations for the Winter Olympics Celebration Concert, another important milestone of the Suzuki movement. The friendships, connections, inspiration and ideas that create these possibilities are impossible to measure. We cannot predict the consequences and the future new adventures that these events create.
 

ⒸBill Hiskett

　　In my group of Teacher Helpers for the Gala, there were teachers from Finland, England, India, and Switzerland, to name just a few, as well as my friend Frances Jermyn from Ireland. We met each other for the first time in Nagano, Japan, and then again in the city of Usuda at a workshop during the Winter Olympics.

　　It was also a great joy for me to be able to meet so many friends from all corners of the world, and to see how the students that I had met previously in Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Iceland (once again a few among many other venues) had grown so much. When you are witness to this, it makes one feel privileged to be a tiny part of their lives.
 
　　Imagine the energy of all those children and young players preparing (some of them for more than three years!) for this event. Now multiply it by 1300 times.  This generated an incredible synergy, an explosion of energy which resulted in an unforgettable concert.
 
　　All this had a huge impact on me. I had come from Argentina, thousands of kilometers away,  after a brief stopover in Mexico for workshops. To observe all this emerging from one of the four corners of the world was an incredible source of inspiration. I think that for all the teachers, that energy is the fuel which keeps us alive.
 
　　Thank you to  Jillian, Mona and Juan, and the entire Gala Committee for your incredible energy and meticulous planning. Thanks go to Kimberly Wong, the Director of  Playtogethers, and above all, a heartfelt thank you to Helen Brunner for her vision and wisdom.
                                       
　　I have witnessed history, and for that I am extremely grateful. I am looking forward to what lies ahead.