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[Event Report] We held the "NLCS Kobe & NLCS Jeju Joint Choral Festival"

2026年7月31日 16:26

▶︎Japanese version

North London Collegiate School is an international school originating from the UK. On May 31st, the joint choral festival "NLCS Kobe and NLCS Jeju Choral Festival" was held at the NLCS Kobe campus.

This special exchange was made possible through the efforts of music teacher Ms. Ruth Baker, who previously served as the Head of Music at NLCS Jeju and is now at NLCS Kobe. While musical exchanges and international events between schools are usually aimed at high school students, this festival was planned based on Ms. Ruth Baker's passionate desire for junior school children, including those in Grade 6, to have the valuable experience of connecting with an overseas school through music.

The day before the performance, students from both schools held a joint rehearsal. The two schools, which had been practicing separately until then, gathered in one space, resonating their voices with each other and carefully polishing the details of their harmony.

Also, wanting to provide an opportunity for the children to share each other's cultures, they all visited Katsuoji Temple (Osaka Prefecture) after the rehearsal.

The students had already grown much closer since the rehearsal. Their exchange, which transcended school boundaries, deepened further, and they participated in a workshop to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture with lively expressions. The children's sparkling reactions on-site and the way they deepened their bonds with smiles, overcoming language barriers, were truly wonderful scenes that symbolized the significance of this joint choral festival.

Finally, the day of the performance arrived! The biggest highlight of this choral festival was the unveiling of a new piece written exclusively for this event.

The composition was handled by Mr. Harry Tharrington, the Music Director at NLCS Jeju, who also worked with Ms. Ruth Baker during her time in Jeju. The resulting piece, "Ancient Tales," is very beautiful and contemporary. And above all, what makes it special is its lyrics.

The lyrics incorporate Jeju dialect, English, and Japanese, and by featuring places that symbolize both "homes," such as Jeju Island, Rokko Island, and Mount Rokko, the commonalities and connections between the two schools are brilliantly expressed.

Please watch the moving singing on the day in the YouTube video.

In this program, besides the new piece, there is another important song that the children sang together. That is "Wasure Ya Wasuru," composed by Ms. Ruth Morris Gray.

Traditional Japanese literature crossed the sea to become a choral piece, and this time, it resonated here in Kobe through the singing voices of the children from NLCS Kobe and NLCS Jeju. It was a dramatic performance that truly allowed us to feel the power of music to "connect cultures and transcend time."

Please watch this in the YouTube video as well.

■ Comments from Ms. Ruth Baker
Music occupies a very important position in all NLCS schools. Sometimes, performances are born from students that you wouldn't think were students at all, and I am always surprised by the high level. This is supported not only by excellent students but also by the many outstanding music teachers at each school.

In this choral festival, we also valued the diversity of the repertoire. I always believe that when working on music with students, it should not be chosen only by the "favorite songs" of teachers or students. It is important to have musical breadth and depth and to have students take on new challenges. Therefore, the program also included songs from pop culture works that are very popular with children.

Also, we devised ways to expose them to both Japanese and Korean through the selection of music, and we are also shining a light on contemporary female composers. In the world of classical music, the names of historical male composers stand out, but when you look at contemporary composers, the balance between men and women is becoming more even. I feel this is a very positive and wonderful change for the music world as well.

■ Conclusion
A moving stage where the children's beautiful singing voices echoed throughout the hall.
At first, the children looked somewhat nervous due to the differences in language and culture, but through the rehearsal and workshop the day before, the distance between them closed in an instant.

As Ms. Ruth Baker said, "The children of the two sister schools became one big team and united their hearts through music," the overwhelming harmony performed on the actual stage was truly the moment the children became "one big team."

The power of music and the potential of children are infinite. The memories of this day, when they sang and laughed together, will surely remain in the hearts of the students of both schools as a "treasure for life."

I send my heartfelt applause and gratitude to everyone who worked hard to hold this wonderful festival, and to the children who gave us such great emotion.

<NLCS Kobe>
[Website]https://nlcskobe.jp/
[note]https://note.com/nlcs_kobe/
[Instagram]https://www.instagram.com/nlcskobe/
[YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/@NLCSKobe
[LinkedIn]https://jp.linkedin.com/company/north-london-collegiate-school-kobe

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▶︎English version

[Event Report] NLCS Kobe and NLCS Jeju Choral Festival

On May 31st, the "NLCS Kobe and NLCS Jeju Choral Festival"—a joint musical event between the two sister schools—was held at the NLCS Kobe campus.

This special collaboration was made possible thanks to Ms. Ruth Baker, a music teacher currently at NLCS Kobe who previously served as the Head of Music at NLCS Jeju. While inter-school music exchanges and international events are typically tailored for high school students, this festival was uniquely designed for Junior School pupils, including Grade 6. It was born out of Ms. Baker’s passionate wish to provide younger children with the invaluable experience of connecting with an overseas sister school through the power of music.

On the day before the main performance, pupils from both schools gathered for a joint rehearsal. Coming together in the same space for the first time, the two groups blended their voices and meticulously refined their harmonies, polishing the finer details of their performance.

With a shared desire to give the children a meaningful cultural exchange, the students visited Katsuo-ji Temple in Osaka Prefecture after their rehearsal.

Having already bonded through their morning singing, the pupils interacted warmly, further deepening their connections across schools. They participated with vibrant enthusiasm in a workshop centered on traditional Japanese culture. Seeing the children's faces light up and watching them build friendships across language barriers was a truly wonderful sight, perfectly embodying the core purpose of this joint choral festival.

Finally, the day of the performance arrived! The absolute highlight of the festival was the premiere of a brand-new piece commissioned exclusively for this event.

The piece was composed by Mr. Harry Tharrington, the Director of Music at NLCS Jeju, who had worked closely with Ms. Baker during her time in Jeju. The resulting song, "Ancient Tales," is beautiful and contemporary. What makes it truly special, however, is its lyrics.

In this song, the lyrics beautifully weave together the Jeju dialect, English, and Japanese. By featuring locations that symbolize their respective "homes"—such as Jeju Island, Rokko Island, and Mount Rokko—the track perfectly captures the shared bonds and connections between the two schools.

Alongside the new commission, there was another meaningful piece that the children performed together: "Wasure Ya Wasuru," composed by Ms. Ruth Morris Gray.

A piece of traditional Japanese literature crossed oceans to become a choral work, and on this day, it echoed right here in Kobe through the voices of NLCS Kobe and NLCS Jeju students. It was a dramatic performance that allowed everyone to truly feel music's power to connect cultures and transcend time.

Please be sure to watch this performance on our YouTube channel as well.

■ Message from Ms. Ruth Baker
"Music holds a fundamentally important place across all NLCS schools. At times, our students deliver performances so exceptional that it is hard to believe they are school children; the sheer level of their musicianship never ceases to amaze me. This is sustained not only by our talented students but also by the presence of outstanding music teachers throughout our schools.

For this choral festival, we placed a strong emphasis on the diversity of our repertoire. I always believe that when working with students on music, we should not select pieces based solely on what the teachers prefer or what the students already like. It is vital to provide musical breadth and depth, giving students a meaningful new challenge. To that end, we also included songs from pop culture works that are immensely popular with the children.

Furthermore, we made conscious choices to ensure the selection allowed students to engage with both Japanese and Korean, while also shining a spotlight on contemporary female composers. While the classical music world often highlights historical male figures, looking at modern composers reveals a much healthier gender balance. I find this to be a highly progressive and wonderful shift within the music community."

■ In Conclusion
A deeply moving stage where the children's beautiful voices resonated throughout the entire hall.

Though the children initially showed signs of nervousness due to differences in language and culture, their rehearsal and cultural workshop on the previous day quickly closed the distance between them.

True to Ms. Baker's words—"The children of our two sister schools become one large team, uniting their hearts through music"—the breathtaking harmony displayed on the final stage was the exact moment these students became a single, unified team.

The power of music and the potential of children are truly limitless. The memories of this day, singing and laughing together, will undoubtedly remain as a lifelong treasure in the hearts of the students from both schools.

We extend our heartfelt applause and gratitude to everyone who dedicated themselves to making this wonderful festival a reality, and to the children who moved us so deeply.

★Would you like to join our campus tour?