Roppongi Male Chorus ZIG-ZAG (ROKUDAN) Presents The U.S. Premiere Of THE LAST MESSAGE

Roppongi Male Chorus ZIG-ZAG (ROKUDAN) presents the U.S. Premiere of The Last Message at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street and 7th Avenue, NYC on Friday, June 8, 2018, at 8pm. Tickets are $20-$50 and can be purchased at https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2018/06/08/ROPPONGI-MALE-CHORUS-ZIGZAG-0800PM or by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.

The Last Message, written by award-winning Japanese composer Shigeaki Saegusa and performed by Roppongi Male Chorus ZIG-ZAG and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, is an epic work imbued with a deep transcendental spirituality. Drawing inspiration from The Voice of Mankind, a collection of letters written by soldiers of various nations who died during World War II, it is a testimony to the endurance of love and humanity in times of war and an appeal for world peace.

Premiered in Tokyo in 2010, The Last Message was performed in Geneva, Switzerland, as an official concert for the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2011. In 2013, ROKUDAN performed it in a concert organized by Volgograd Oblast in Volgograd City, Russia. In 2015, they performed it at the Philharmonia in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a memorial concert for the Anniversary of the beginning of the Siege of Leningrad. In 2017, to celebrate 75th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between Vatican and Japan, ROKUDAN preformed it in Church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Rome, Italy. After the concert at Carnegie Hall, they are scheduled to perform the work at Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

The concert will open with the United Nations Staff Recreation Council Singers (UN SRC Singers) and ROKUDAN singing Japanese folk songs.

ROPPONGI Male Chorus ZIG-ZAG AT Carnegie Hall Program: The Last Message for Male Chorus and Orchestra, composed by Shigeaki Saegusa Performers: Naoto Otomo (Conductor), Roppongi Male Chorus ZIG-ZAG, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Representative Members: President: Shigeaki Saegusa (Composer); Honorary Chairman: Ichiro Fujisaki (President, The American-Japan Society, Inc. Former Ambassador to the U.S.) [Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO)] Founded in 1911, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest classical orchestra in Japan. In 2011, TPO celebrated its 100th anniversary as Japan's first symphony orchestra. With about 130 musicians, TPO performs both symphonies and operas regularly. TPO has established its world-class reputation through its subscription concert series, regular opera and ballet assignments at the New National Theatre, and a full, ever in-demand agenda around Japan and the world. http://tpo.or.jp/en/

In 1999, about 20 people, well-known professionals in their own fields, got together to perform at an AIDS charity benefit concert. Members hail from a wide range of backgrounds: politicians, businessmen, academics and cultural figures, ranging in age from 24 to 86. They perform and raise money at various charity events for causes such as the Children's Earth Fund, the Afghanistan Ambulance Fund, Indian Ocean Tsunami aide and assistance for the victims of "311," the Great East Japan Earthquake. There are more than 100 members, who come together to declare the beauty which music provides throughout our lives. http://rokudan-zz.com/en/ Tickets are $20-$50 and can be purchased at https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2018/06/08/ROPPONGI-MALE-CHORUS-ZIGZAG-0800PM or by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.