Back from Kinshasa!

WHAT A TRIP! Starting with 3 absolutely unexpected nights in Brussels due to the terrorist attack that took place at the airport and experiencing several heavy rain storms in Kinshasa, I am very happy to report that we still managed to work over 60 hours and performed three successful concerts!

All of the 27 musicians I listened to worked extra hard to make up for the lost times, and they all made HUGE improvements! This time, I decided to spend a little more time than usual on private/semi private lessons (partly because my suitcases with new materials never made it to Kinshasa!), which ended up helping the growth of individual musicians.

We performed in front of 200 children at the American School of Kinshasa (TASOK), followed by a discussion over career as a musician with the 8th graders, and we also visited their band class. We are very excited about the start of this new collaboration with TASOK!

The concert at the Japanese Embassy was our biggest success yet! This was our fourth time performing at the Embassy and this time, over 100 guests including the Vice Prime Minister and other congolese government officials, ambassadors and other diplomats from various countries, UN, and NGOs came to the concert!

All the guests seemed to enjoyed the concert and it was so nice to hear that many of the repeated guests told me that they could actually hear their development each time!

On the last day, we held a little community concert where lots of the grand students performed. They all did their absolute best, and the atmosphere was extremely open, warm and encouraging! :)

As I look back on my fifth and so far the craziest, busiest, hottest (102 degrees everyday!) and the most jam-packed trip, my heart is filled with gratitude.Thank you Japanese Embassy in DR Congo for becoming our official sponsor and continue to support Music Beyond and the musicians of Congo!Thank you TASOK for such a great beginning of our collaboration!

Thank you to all the dedicated musicians of the Kimbanguist Symphony for their extremely hard work and positivity!

Thank you to all of my friends in Kinshasa who always support, encourage and keeping me happy and safe!
And last but not least... THANK YOU to all the supporters of Music Beyond! It is tour support that is truly making a big difference and the lasting impact to the lives of Congolese musicians and the grater community!

With love,

Kaori