Special Sponsorship of the Year-End Concert Featuring Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9

Ube Industries supported a concert of the Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which was held at the Watanabe Memorial Hall in Ube City and organized by the Ube Executive Committee and Ube City. This was the 14th annual concert, and measures were implemented to prevent COVID-19 infection, including restrictions on the audience size and fully assigned seating.

In the first half of the concert, four soloists each introduced and performed a well-known operatic aria. This was followed by the annual performance of “Ube Citizen’s Song” by a chorus, and a brief commentary on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 by conductor Takashi Fukuda. Following the intermission, the chorus members and soloists joined together to sing the Ode to Joy from the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, with piano accompaniment.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s concert was the smallest one to date. Nevertheless, the determined voices of the soloists and chorus resounded throughout the venue, and the audience applauded enthusiastically after the Ode to Joy, which felt even more powerful than usual.