Greetings of the Director

Greetings of the Director

Director of the Sacred Music Center

Professor Nozomi Sato

　I joined ICU as a faculty member in 2019 was pointed as the Director of the SMC in April 2021. ICU has wonderful musical resources, including four large and small organs, a harpsichord, practice rooms and a classroom for music education, and most importantly, two chapels with a wonderful atmosphere and acoustics.

In collaboration with Professor Matt Gillan, we are working to develop organ lessons that continue the tradition and organ concerts by excellent domestic and international performers.
We also increase the musical activities to which students can commit themselves. In addition to organizing chamber and choral music concerts by students, we launched the gagaku project. Both Gagaku and Western music have the potential to connect people across borders.

The greatest and most important treasure of ICU is not the instruments and facilities but the musical potential of the ICU students. Our goals are that the organ lessons will continue to grow and that ICU will continue to be a center for organ culture, and that the SMC will become more open to ICU and local community and to the world, and that the SMC will continue to be a hub for liberal arts education through music.

　We live in a world where pandemics since 2020 are still going on, and news of conflicts and wars are constant. The world is confused and unpredictable. However, precisely because we are in such a situation, we should look to the future and keep dreams of a better future. We will continue to interact with people and promote students' learning at all times.

　Music has a great potential to bring people together, and the SMC will continue to serve as the foundation and the beacon of this truth.