Philanthropist celebrates life with art, music (3)

 

Prior to the exhibition, Dr.Handa, who is also a baritone singer held a birthday performance titled “Sakura Fubuki Concert”(“Cherry Blossom Shower Concert”) on March 16 at Nippon Budokan Hall in central Tokyo. Soprano singer Hiroko Onuki, a 30-piece orchestra and an eight-member band performed songs such as “The Music of the Night” from “The Phantom of the Opera,” ”Heavy Rotation” by AKB 48, and Dr.Handa’s original pieces. It was his fifth concert there at the prestigious Nippon Budokan Hall, for the first time in seven years.

 

Also, earlier in March, he held a classical music concert celebrating the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) with eight soloists, including himself, in front of orchestra at the Westin Tokyo.

 Soprano Singer Hiroko Onuki sings at Handa’s ‘Sakura Fubuki Concert’ (‘Cherry Blossom Shower Concert’) at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on March 16. | @TACHIBANA PUBLISHING

Philanthropist celebrates life with art, music (2)

 

At the age of 52, Dr.Handa entered a doctorate course at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design in China, In his commentary for this year’s exhibition, he wrote that all of his Chinese professors were both calligraphers and painters at the same time, which may have given inspiration to his free and magnanimous style. On the other hand, his way of decomposing conventional styles or mixing them using the bold simplification unique to Japanese art or the bright colors of Western art often impressed his professors.

At the end of the ceremony, he provided some message, encouraging his guests to never stop doing new things: “Do not retire. Do not prepare for your own death, because you will die if you are ready to.”

  Dr.Haruhisa Handa and guests prepare to cut the ribbon before his solo art exhibition in Tokyo at TOC Gotanda Messe on March 18. @TACHIBANA PUBLISHING