April 2005

From Beethoven to Benny Goodman in Misawa, Japan

By Alita Byrd
Special to FYI Online

Mike Tisher  (right) performs during “An Evening of Music and Theater” in Misawa, Japan.

What do Ludwig van Beethoven, James Horner, Nakamura Hachidai, and David Jenkins have in common? If you lived in Misawa, Japan—a small city of 40,000 located 500 miles north of Tokyo—you’d likely know the answer. All of these artists had their work performed at “An Evening of Music and Theater,” co-sponsored by UMUC Asia and the Misawa International Center, in February 2005.

Everyone knows Beethoven—if not from the symphony, then from the thousands of cell phones pealing out the first notes of Fur Elise, Ode to Joy, or Fifth Symphony. You’ll recognize James Horner from the haunting—and much-parodied—theme song from the movie Titanic. Nakamura Hachidai wrote a Japanese song that became a hit in the 1960s. And David Jenkins? Well, he is an associate professor of English, speech, and theater for UMUC Asia, as well as a playwright.

“The audience enjoyed the variety of features presented and reacted to their favorites, such as an Irish song I played with the French musicians,” said Mike Tisher, associate professor of math for UMUC Asia and an accomplished violinist who performed in a number of pieces during the evening.

Variety was the watchword of the evening. A group of musicians—mostly French—played Django Reinhardt’s European gypsy jazz. A men’s chorus—mostly Japanese—sang traditional Japanese music. The Misawa High School Brass Band played American big band favorites from Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and faculty and students from UMUC Asia performed several of David Jenkins’ one-act plays.

As Koichiro Maita, president of Misawa International Center, pointed out, music and drama have no cultural boundaries.

The “Evening of Music and Drama” was Tisher’s brainchild, part of the “UMUC Presents” series.

“‘UMUC Presents’ is an outlet designed for UMUC faculty members to make presentations,” said Tisher. “The presentation might be anything from a research project to a concert.” In April 2004, Jon Huer, a UMUC professor of sociology, coordinated an evening of poetry and music as part of the series and staged it in Misawa. In the audience was Michiko Katamura, a committee member at the newly-built Misawa International Center. She contacted UMUC Asia, suggested an evening program, and eventually helped to coordinate the event.

“The stage is state-of-the-art and equipped with wonderful acoustics,” said Tisher. “Above all, the center is a super place that a person from any nation can utilize to share culture and ideas with people from other nations. . . . Since this event was held off-base, two different communities could participate—both the on-base community and the local Japanese community.”

“We established this facility to promote international understanding, send information about Misawa to the world, and foster people prepared for international service,” said Maita.

The “Evening of Music and Drama” was advertised locally on television and radio, and the performances were recorded on DVD, edited, and later broadcast on local cable TV. The event was free, but money from sale of refreshments went to help victims of the December 26 tsunami.

“The University has a long history of working with Misawa City and the Aomori Foundation [an organization that works to link the airbase to the local community] in connection with Japanese citizens who study in our degree programs on base,” said Greg von Lehman, director of Japan area programs for UMUC Asia. “More recently, we have seen that relationship grow, with occasional classes offered by the University at the Misawa International Center for both our Japanese and American students. This growing relationship . . . reminds us of the good fruit that comes from international cooperation and friendship.”