Fukushima. A journey of hope.

 

Keys of Change visited Japan for the first time in August 2011, six months after the extraordinary natural disaster which resulted in more than 18,000 casualties and left more than one million homeless. During that first project pianist Panos Karan presented 11 recitals for people living in emergency shelters and temporary housing, as well as schools in the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyage. Keys of Change returned to Japan in the coming months, in March 2012, October 2012 and March 2013, to remind survivors that the world had not forgotten them, once again using the power of music to give hope and encouragement.

 

After continuous collaboration with schools in Fukushima, and several joint concerts for the local communities, in March 2014 Keys of Change established the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta, an orchestra made up of young musicians from Fukushima and in April 2014 they had their London debut at the Southbank Centre. In August 2015 they performed at Tokyo Opera City, for an audience which included Her Majesty Empress Michiko, and in April 2016 they made their US debut at Boston Symphony Hall.