Rakuten to Carry out Music Promotion Initiative “Uniting the World through the Power of Music”
in New York, Paris, and Singapore

TOKYO, NEW YORK, PARIS, and SINGAPORE, March 11 2014 - Rakuten, Inc. today announced an initiative titled “Uniting the World through the Power of Music” in New York, Paris, and Singapore to showcase the musical activities of youths who are supporting recovery efforts in Fukushima Prefecture following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster.   

As part of the “Uniting the World through the Power of Music” initiative, special concerts will be held in conjunction with The 100th Anniversary World Tour of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Rakuten is the presenting sponsor of this anniversary tour which will take place in six countries in North America, Asia, and Europe. Special “Uniting the World through the Power of Music” concerts will be held  at reception venues organized by Rakuten following concerts by the orchestra in New York, Paris and Singapore on March 11, 16, and 20, respectively  (all local dates).

Five university students from Fukushima Prefecture have been invited to the orchestra’s New York concert; and four university students who work as volunteers in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, for the charity organization “El Sistema Japan,” which carries out musical education promotion activities, will attend the Paris concert. At receptions following these concerts the students will perform the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and disaster charity song “Hana wa saku – Flowers Will Bloom” together with members of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. In Singapore, a video of a choral performance of “Hana wa saku” by students of Fukushima City’s Matsukawa Elementary School, who performed at last December’s Rakuten Children’s Music Festival *¹, organized by Rakuten, will be shown.

Rakuten engages in music promotion initiatives as part of its CSR activities, and since 2011 Rakuten has been the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra’s official supplier. In July last year, 83 sixth grade students from Sakuragaoka Elementary School of Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture were invited to put on a choral performance at the Rakuten Group Day baseball match between the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters at Tokyo Dome*². Rakuten also set up an aid project for these children, encouraging people to donate musical instruments to them using the Rakuten Auction website. In December of the same year, Rakuten organized the Rakuten Children’s Music Festival with support from the Fukushima Prefecture and Fukushima City Education Boards, and a total of 475 students belonging to 17 groups from elementary, junior high, and high schools in Fukushima Prefecture preformed.

This latest initiative is the first time that Rakuten has engaged in the music promotion activities outside of Japan. Rakuten hopes that participating in this initiative will help give every person involved a more global outlook. The company also hopes that the “Uniting the World through the Power of Music” initiative will inform people around the world about how these youths who are working every day to support the recovery of Fukushima Prefecture, are helping to reenergize their communities through music, and also remind people of the wonderful power that music has.

*1  Rakuten Children’s Music Festival:
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2013/1030_02.html
*2 From Japan to the world! Creating children’s orchestras:
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/sustainability/mobile-library/

・ Special website URL:
* Images from the events will be posted on the website as they become available
Japanese https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/csr/activities/sports-culture/musicpower/
English    https://global.rakuten.com/corp/sustainability/activities/sports-culture/musicpower/

・ Event dates and times (local time):
- New York: March 11, about 10 min performance during the reception starting from 9:45PM
- Paris: March 16, about 10 min performance during the reception starting from 6:45PM
- Singapore: March 20, about 10 min performance during the reception starting from 9:30PM

・ Venues: Each performance will take place in venues located near the World Tour 2014 concert venues.

■The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra of proud history and tradition established in 1911, making it the oldest in Japan. With approximately 150 members, it is able to serve both as a symphony orchestra and a dramatic orchestra. In addition to its efforts to popularize classical music with independent performances such as its “Subscription concerts”, “Afternoon concerts” and the “Power of Music for Kids & Family” concerts, it is a familiar presence for music fans nationwide with its high-level performances and diverse educational activities. These include performing operas and ballets as the regular orchestra at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, the New Year Opera Concert, FM Symphony Concert and Meikyoku Album programs for NHK, the “Untitled Concert” and the “Tokyu Silvester Concert”. Rakuten’s Hiroshi Mikitani was appointed Chairman of the Board in 2011.

 Outline of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra World Tour 2014