Chapter 256 A new star shines in Hokkaido!
The venue of the Hokkaido representative competition.

NHK Hokkaido reporter Shinichi Sato was staring at the computer screen in a daze, and the coffee on the table had already cooled down.

As a senior cultural journalist, he had already listened to the morning performance of the Hokkaido competition.

There are six teams in total.

To be honest, it's rubbish!
Of course, this is not to say that other people’s schools are rubbish or that their students are bad.

But as a reporter, he couldn't find any explosive headlines in the news!
Everyone's performance was just average.

The Saints still outperformed the other schools, and the other schools were just as good as in previous years.

The level hasn't changed at all!

How to write something that doesn’t change?
Should I write a negative report like "Hokkaido schools have made no progress compared to previous years!"?

He wanted to write this.

But my boss doesn't allow it.

As a journalist for NHK's Hokkaido branch, his responsibility is to convey positive values ​​to the public.

Negative emotions are something that only tabloids write about. You absolutely cannot write about them in my job!
Ah, forget it.

Let’s go eat first.

After dinner, look at your morning notes again and think about it again.

Shinichi Sato is a typical Hokkaido person. The taste of Hakodate is similar to that of other cities in Hokkaido. Since most of them are by the sea, they prefer seafood, especially squid, crabs, scallops and sea urchins.

At noon, he randomly found a restaurant near the venue to eat paella.

While he was eating, he suddenly heard someone discussing today's representative competition next to him.

Sato Shinichi looked to the side and saw two men in their thirties. He listened from the side.

Both of them commented that the performance level in the morning was not good and there was no change compared to previous years.

Shinichi Sato nodded in approval, that's right.

It seems that these two people have been paying attention to the Hokkaido Wind Instrument Competition for a long time.

Sato Shinichi continued to listen, and the two chatted until they talked about the afternoon game that had not yet started.
One of them seemed to be particularly concerned about a team in the afternoon, Taisho Tachibana Kita.

Taisho Tachibana No. 1 Private Academy?

Out of professional habit, Shinichi Sato immediately took out a small notebook and wrote it down.

He knows this school.

It's an old institution, but it's not good at all in terms of wind instruments.

Haven't heard of them in almost ten years.

This time, I unexpectedly came to Hakodate to participate in the competition.

How could two old audiences be optimistic about an unknown school?
Shinichi Sato put down his chopsticks and became a little curious.

After finishing his meal, he rushed back to the lounge provided by the competition officials for their reporters and began to look up information about Ju Bei.

It's better not to check this.
This check.
Participated in the prefectural competition held in Sapporo.

Still third place.

What is the level of the prefectural competition in Sapporo?
The highest standard in Hokkaido!

They were able to take third place, just behind Saint Girl and Birch, and beat a bunch of schools whose names you often see, which shows that they must have some strength.

Or should we just use them to deal with the reports submitted to the unit?
Shinichi Sato immediately confirmed this idea.

Of course, he doesn't hold out high expectations, nor will he exaggerate too much.

At most, they would say that they performed well in this competition and deserve encouragement.

This is considered positive coverage.

With this idea in mind, Shinichi Sato sat in the audience seats in advance before the afternoon game started.

The first show in the afternoon is Jiang Bie Qing Feng.

Well. As expected, it's pretty much the same as before. It seems like there has been some improvement, but also seems like there hasn't been any.

Alas, so disappointed.

Shinichi Sato sat for a while and waited for the arrival of Team No. 8, which was the teachers and students of Taisho Tachibana First College.

"This time it will be similar to the previous ones, right?"

"I heard that Tachibana Kita's club just reorganized."

"After Saint Girl College, there's actually nothing to see."

"I've already bought the tickets, so let's just give it a listen."

A group of wind music enthusiasts and journalists were discussing the matter in low voices.

Shinichi Sato, who was sitting in the audience holding a small notebook, nodded in agreement. He felt the same way, but what could he do?
Since it has been decided that tomorrow's news will focus on the Jubei Wind Orchestra, we have to watch it even if we have to bite the bullet!

Besides, to be honest, as a society that was reorganized not long ago, it is already very impressive for them to be able to stand here.

Just as Sato was thinking this, the lights on the stage gradually lit up, and the members of the Tachibana Kita Wind Ensemble walked onto the stage in an orderly manner.

I could see that I was a little nervous.

But the overall training was very good, and the instructor quickly stabilized the atmosphere of the club.

Shinichi Sato held a pen, supported his chin, and glanced at these young students.

Inexplicable.
He felt that the Jubei team was of high quality and had the configuration of a famous wind orchestra.

The girls in several key positions are all very beautiful!

There are always people talking about the "strength" of wind orchestras, but as a reporter, he knows very well that if a niche hobby like wind music wants to expand its circle, it must rely on popular elements.

For example, playing anime songs, movies, pop songs and so on.

The most important point is whether there are many good-looking girls in a band.

This is most important.

There's nothing we can do about it, the public likes this.

The girls in Jubei all look very good and meet expectations. After all, who doesn’t like beautiful girls in real life?

Shinichi Sato’s professionalism is quite solid, and after making a note in his small notebook, he already knows which scenes and photos of people to capture.

He raised his camera and took pictures of several key members of the society, intending to use them in tomorrow's news.

The competition consists of one designated song and one optional song.

The designated song, Shinichi Sato, listened carefully.
He felt like he could drop his jaw right now.
Because this level is quite good!

He suddenly felt that there was nothing wrong with him choosing Ju Bei as the first choice for tomorrow's news.

Well, you can praise it more.

After a little preparation, the Tachibana North Wind Ensemble quickly prepared their second selected piece.

In fact, the highest standard for scoring is the self-selected song.

Because the selected songs can really reflect the level and style of a band, the judges and the audience love to listen to this.

Shinichi Sato took a look and found out it was "Waltz Under the Blue Sky".

It’s a very classic song, light and youthful, which fits the public’s impression of high school students. The 2010 national champion used this song.

As the champion piece, it must be difficult. It all depends on how well it is performed.

Shinichi Sato held the pen and waited for a moment. Soon, he saw the club's music slowly sounded as the conductor gestured.

The melody was brisk and energetic, instantly attracting the attention of all the audience.

"This Prelude"

Shinichi Sato was really shocked this time. He held the pen tightly in his hand, stared at the stage, and couldn't help feeling excited.

That’s great!

He commented silently in his heart and felt a long-lost excitement.

The coordination between the instruments is quite tacit, and almost every note jumps in the air, giving people a fresh feeling.

Like the previous orchestras, although they were playing according to the rules, they could not feel the emotion that famous artists and great composers had when they played their own songs.

But Jubei is different.
From this beginning, Shinichi Sato knew that they had been practicing for a long time and very seriously.

Sato Shinichi continued to listen.

As the music progressed, he discovered that this did not seem to be the original version of "Waltz Under the Blue Sky".

Did the conductor make any changes?
Well, that's normal.

In a formal, large orchestra, the conductor's biggest role is actually to adapt the music so that the overall music better fits the team.

This adaptation is great too!

Invite famous experts to help?
"If this level can be maintained, tomorrow's report will be greatly changed."

He pondered secretly in his heart, with admiration revealed in his eyes.

He began to close his eyes and listen slowly.
The music is melodious and quite cheerful, and it moves forward without stopping.

The lively tune gradually fades away, replaced by the woodwind section.
At this point, Shinichi Sato could have given a very high evaluation, but he didn't expect the shocking thing to come.

When the noise of the brass instruments died down, Jiuhuayue's loud trumpet sound immediately touched the hearts of the audience!
The judges and the entire audience were all shocked.
solo?

It's a solo?
Is this the adaptation?
Sato Shinichi's eyes lit up.

The melody of the first movement of "Waltz Under the Blue Sky" is peaceful, like the falling cherry blossoms in April, gentle and moving.

But this trumpet solo seemed to lead everyone into a higher, better, brighter and more beautiful world.

This place is full of fantasy, and flower petals are floating everywhere.

“Amazing!”

Shinichi Sato secretly sighed in his heart that this performer was not only beautiful, but also had a very unique technique in playing the trumpet, with a clear voice and full of energy.

He remembered that the first movement of "Waltz Against the Blue Sky" was Dance in the Morning, right?

This adaptation is really wonderful! Wonderful!

During this solo, there were occasional murmurs of exclamation from the audience; even those usually picky music lovers couldn't help but whisper to each other.

But the best is yet to come.

The trumpet solo intensifies, the melody gradually becomes richer, until the woodwind section’s timbre brings it to a perfect end.

Waiting for the second movement, Dream of Floating Clouds.

Sato Shinichi listened attentively, which was rare.

The more I listened, the more I wanted to praise him.

High standard. For a high school club, this level is really high.

Just as he continued to praise in his heart, a performance of even higher level came again.

"Another solo?"

Shinichi Sato saw that all the students in the club stopped what they were doing, and then at the conductor's wave, a girl with teardrops on the corners of her eyes, holding a violin, plucked the strings.

This sound.!

This sound.! !
Shinichi Sato almost thought there was something wrong with his ears.

Is this really the level at which a high school girl can perform?!

Gentle, dreamy, and slightly melancholic
God! Although he is not a believer of any religion, he also wants to shout God!
Is this reality?
His heart was surging with enthusiasm, and he stared at the stage intently. The girl's performance seemed to freeze time, and everything around her became blurred, leaving only the elegant and moving melody echoing in the air. Every note seemed to be the feeling in her heart, transmitted to every listener through the strings.

Not only Shinichi Sato, but also Teru Komuro, who was not far away, couldn't help but feel excited when he heard the solo.

That's it! That's it!
This is what he wants to hear!

Should I say it was refreshing? He felt that the arranger of this piece really hit the spot, with so many solos! So outstanding!

It’s not a wasted trip, it’s really not a wasted trip!
Just when he and Shinichi Sato thought that this was the limit of the Tachibana Kita Orchestra, the solo of the third movement followed.

"Another trumpet?!"

Everyone thought it was the previous trumpet player, who must be the principal trumpet player of the club, but no one expected that it was this short-haired girl who was the one.

Her music follows closely on the tenderness of the previous movement, forming an incomparable contrast with it.

Light, upbeat and full of life.

This connects
Perfect, perfect.

There are three movements of solo performances, and each soloist is a perfect match, with each one more skilled than the other, and each has their own strengths in various aspects!

Isn't this what you come to listen to when you buy a ticket to listen to wind music?
The trumpet solo in the third movement ended, and the violin group followed closely. From here on, the music was developing towards its climax step by step. When it entered the fourth movement, the three soloists in the past led the entire club to perfectly sublimate the music. Shinichi Sato was speechless.

This is the power of youth.

Nothing to say, but this is the feeling of youth!
It was long after the performance of the Jubei Wind Ensemble ended, when the students, holding their instruments and bending over with sweat on their foreheads, everyone collectively realized, "It turns out that it's over."

The whole audience fell into a brief silence, as if time had stood still. Then, the applause broke out like thunder, warm and long-lasting. The audience members who understood music all stood up and gave the warmest cheers to this young band.

"So amazing? This is a new beginning. It's really a dark horse."

Shinichi Sato thought to himself that he couldn't wait to write all of this in his report.

Before returning to the lounge, he immediately picked up a gel pen and, almost subconsciously, wrote a report in his small notebook:
“Tachibana Kita Wind Ensemble: A new star shining in Hokkaido!”

“When the performance of the Jubei Wind Ensemble resounded throughout the venue, it was as if a crack had been torn open in the northern sky, and the dawn shone down. As an audience member, I not only felt the power of music, but also saw their desire for the future! The entire performance was flawless and full of emotion. From the beginning to the end, every note was gripping.”

Having written this, he suddenly stopped.

Because he suddenly realized that he didn't know any of the members.

Not only the position, but even the name cannot be pronounced!

How can this work!
So he quickly packed up his notebook and pen, ran down the auditorium, and went to the door of the waiting room, waiting for the people from Ju Bei to come out.

Not long after arriving outside, Shinichi Sato saw that a large group of his colleagues had surrounded the place and there was no way out!
Eighty percent of them come here to ask for information.

Just like paparazzi! They came here just by smelling the smell! Why didn't you pay attention to it before!
Shinichi Sato cursed several times in his heart. He looked at the notebook in his hand and suddenly felt that he could not just sit there and wait for death, so he decisively dived into it.

squeeze!
Squeeze hard!
Shameless squeeze!
Ju Bei's level has been demonstrated on the big stage, and it is only a matter of time before he attracts attention.

As a news reporter for NHK, he must be the first to get the most detailed and interesting reports!

"You guys, stop crowding!"

"Then what are you squeezing?!"

"Let me in and stand in front!!!"

"Get out of here!"

(End of this chapter)