Ube Industries Announces 13th UBE Group Charity Concert

Since 2008, Ube Industries, Ltd. (President: Masato Izumihara) has been inviting the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra to Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture and hosting the UBE Group Charity Concert at Watanabe Okina Memorial Hall. The goal is to contribute to the development of local culture through music based on UBE’s founding principle of harmonious coexistence.
This year, which marks the 13th concert, the event will be held with stringent measures in place to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

For this year’s 13th UBE Group Charity Concert, to be held on October 25, Ube Industries has invited Junichi Hirokami, a versatile and very popular conductor who has made guest appearances with orchestras all over the world, and violinist Kazuhito Yamane, who has been attracting attention as a young musician performing with orchestras in Japan and overseas. The concert will feature performances of Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, K. 136 and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61 with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Event plans also include talks and commentary by the conductor and soloist, who are the special features of this year’s concert. Sign language interpreters will be provided for the talks and commentary.

This year, the following will be provided to allow the concert to be enjoyed by the wider community.

1. In cooperation with Pioneer Corporation, two or three seats with that company’s Body Sonic body sensation sound system installed will be provided at both the dress rehearsal and the main performance to allow people with hearing impairments to experience the music translated into vibration.
2. On the day of the concert, the performance will be broadcast live on FM Kirara, the local FM station, with a special program on FM Yamaguchi at a later date.
3. The music clinics hosted by the Watanabe Memorial Culture Association (Director: Ken Yamamoto) will be held remotely.

In addition, the following measures will be taken to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

1. Thorough health management for performers and staff (recording of daily temperature measurements and activities for two weeks before the concert, refraining from social gatherings, etc.)
2. PCR testing of all orchestra members and related personnel who visit Ube from Tokyo. Ube Industries’ principal occupational physician will make the decision on whether people will visit Ube.
3. All orchestra members and related personnel who visit Ube from Tokyo will be prohibited from using restaurants in Ube. They will use chartered buses for travel around Ube and will be prohibited from walking or using public transport.
4. In order to avoid conditions that facilitate the transmission of infection on the first day of ticket sales, the ticket lottery will now be held through reply-paid postcard and the corporate website.
5. The number of seats will be significantly reduced in order to ensure social distancing between seats. Instead, there will be two performances: a morning and an afternoon performance.
6. With two performances in one day, the venue will be disinfected between performances and different seats in the venue will be used for the morning and afternoon performances.
7. Performers and staff will have their temperature measured before entering the venue, disinfect their hands, and wear a mask.
8. Staff will wear a mask at all times, and customer-facing staff will also wear a face shield and gloves.
9. Audience members will be requested to have their temperature measured with a non-contact thermometer before entering the venue, and to disinfect their hands and wear a mask. The contact information of audience members will also be obtained (audience members entering the venue will be requested to enter their contact information on the reverse of the ticket stub in advance.)
10. Audience members will be requested to cut ticket stubs and collect program pamphlets themselves.
11. Entering and exiting the venue will be at scheduled times for each seat.
12. Sales of merchandise at the venue will be canceled.
13. Measures for preventing the transmission of infection will be posted and explained inside and outside the venue.

Overview of 13th UBE Group Charity Concert

Name	13th UBE Group Charity Concert
Date and times	Sunday, October 25, 2020 Doors open: 10:20 / Doors close: 11:00 / Scheduled performance end: 12:30 Doors open: 14:50 / Doors close: 15:30 / Scheduled performance end: 17:00
Venue	Watanabe Memorial Hall (Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture)
Sponsor	Ube Industries, Ltd.
Co-sponsor	Watanabe Memorial Culture Association and UBE Kougaku Kyoukai
Cooperation	Pioneer Corporation
Support	Ube City, Ube City Board of Education, Ube City Cultural Foundation, Ube Nippo, Television Yamaguchi Broadcasting Systems Co., Ltd., FM Yamaguchi, FM Kirara
Program	Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, K. 136 Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61
Performers	Conductor: Junichi Hirokami, Soloist: Kazuhito Yamane (violin) Orchestra: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
Entry fees	Elementary school student and older: ¥2,000*/ticket (all seats reserved, includes tax) *All proceeds will be donated to organizations involved in music in order to develop local music culture.
Application deadline for ticket lottery sales	Monday, September 28, 2020 (Reply-paid postcards must arrive no later than this date.)
Purchase period for tickets after the lottery	Saturday, October 3, 2020 – Tuesday, October 13, 2020* *Tickets that are not purchased after the lottery will be sold through a ticket agency. Thursday, October 15, 2020 – Sunday, October 25, 2020
Ticket agency	Ube City Cultural Hall box office
For general inquiries about the performance	UBE Group Charity Concert Executive Office (Tel: 083-923-8850) (Mon–Fri: 10.00–18.00, closed weekends and holidays)
For ticket inquiries	Ube City Cultural Foundation UBE Group Charity Concert ticket lottery staff (Tel: 0836-35-3355, e-mail: kikakuka@ube-bunzai.jp)

Other

1. As a measure to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, preparations have been made for remotely holding the music clinic and mini-concert (formerly the community concert including music clinic) held in conjunction with the charity concert to allow local elementary and junior high school students to experience live music performed by the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

   Event details	Remote Music Clinic (sponsored by the Watanabe Memorial Culture Association). The mini-concert (including the joint performance) has been canceled.
   Participating schools	Concert band clubs at Konan Junior High School, Kuroishi Junior High School, and Momoyama Junior High School
   Dates	Scheduled between November 2020 and February 2021

2. Free invitations to the charity concert dress rehearsal for children with disabilities enrolled at Ube Comprehensive School for Special Needs Education will be canceled.
3. The friendship concerts at Yamaguchi University Hospital and Ube Industries Central Hospital will be canceled.

Charity Concert Broadcasts

Sunday, October 25	11.00 – 12.30 FM Kirara (live broadcast)
Sunday, November 8	19.00 – 19.55 FM Yamaguchi (broadcast of the day’s performance in a special program)