The CWAJ VVI 50th Anniversary Concert on November 6th to celebrate 50 years of VVI and CWAJ providing programs for people with a visual impairment was a marvelous success.
The concert featured pianist Rika Sugata, 2021 CWAJ Scholar for the Visually Impaired. Rika’s performance awed the audience. In between playing Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Mendelssohn, she spoke about her gratitude to CWAJ for her scholarship and for the opportunity to perform. CWAJ is grateful to Rika! She accepted our request a year ago, saying it is “my dream to perform for CWAJ”, and since then has dedicated hours of lessons and practice to give a splendid performance.
In the second half of the concert, the audience enjoyed the lovely voice of soprano, Seina Kudo, accompanied by Rika. Seina is also visually impaired and best friends with Rika. Performing together was a dream come true for them, and the audience, too!
CWAJ is honored that Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino attended the concert. Her presence added elegance to this special anniversary, making the event even more memorable.
The hall was filled to capacity. The audience included major organizations and individuals supporting the visually impaired: Japan Braille Library, Japan Vocational Development Center for the Blind and Low Vision, Tokyo Helen Keller Association, Mainichi Braille Shinbun, Toride Hoshi no Kai (Braille transcription), National Committee of Welfare for The Blind in Japan, NPO Monkey Magic plus CWAJ’s major donor Cartier Japan, Japan Foreign Ministry and media. Also, it was heartwarming to see four recipients of CWAJ’s Scholarship for the Visually Impaired attending to support Rika: Toshiaki Aomatsu (1992), Eri Sakaki Nagase (2004), Makoto Ogoda (2005), and Kozue Handa (2007).
In addition to the gorgeous program in regular size, Braille and Large Print versions were available to meet the needs of all attending. Also, there was a very special gift for all to take home, 50 Years of VVI, the VVI 50th Anniversary history booklet.
A special thanks to Mari Christine, a CWAJ member, who was the MC for the evening. Having her professional input helped to make the evening go smoothly. And a huge thank you to the Concert committee and the 40 plus volunteers on the day for all your help to making the evening so memorable.
VVI 50th Concert Coordinators: Joanna Chinen and Shigeko Nagaoka
