“Minami Flying Expo 2024 Summer Battle with Mizkan” Concert Official Report

The Namba-Dotonbori Public Space Utilization Liaison Committee held a concert by pianist Keito Saito and glass harpist Eri Ohashi, who composed the new theme song for Osaka Minami, “GLASS WINDOW,” at the “Minami Flying Expo 2024 Summer Battle with Mizkan,” which was held from Saturday, August 10th to Tuesday, September 10th.

The new theme song, “GLASS WINDOW,” features a beautiful harmony of glass harp and piano, creating a cool melody that will help you forget the summer heat, and is expected to reverberate refreshingly through the arcade of Ebisubashisuji Shopping Street.

Saito, who wrote this song, spoke about the concept of the song, “The theme was coolness and healing, but since I was working with Ohashi Eri, a leading expert on the glass harp, I kept the characteristics of the glass harp in mind. The sound of the glass harp is cool, so those worries were completely gone. I also wanted to incorporate the heat of Osaka into the coolness. I made music that would make your heart warm. And Mitsukan’s vinegar gives it a sweet and sour taste. I wanted to express bittersweet memories.” Ohashi, who teamed up with him for the first time to perform the song, also spoke with enthusiasm, saying, “My father is from Osaka, so I am happy to be able to perform in Osaka, but Saito Keito wrote an original piece for this occasion. There are no songs for the glass harp in Japan, so I think everyone will enjoy this, as it is Japan’s first original glass harp piece.”
At the venue where the piece was first performed, applause broke out for the refreshing melody of the glass harp and piano.
After finishing the performance, Saito commented, “I am really happy to be able to make our debut on the streets of Osaka, and I have been honored since I was approached about this. I am so glad that we have been able to make it happen.” Ohashi also spoke about the approachability of the glass harp, saying, “It’s an instrument that makes sound using glasses purchased at the tableware section of the kind of glass you might have in your home, and all you have to do is rub it with a wet finger ring, and there is even a glass harp quiz, so please look it up and try to imitate it. I am happy that you all watched over us today and that we were able to perform in such a wonderful space.” She also spoke about the approachability of the glass harp, and along with its sound, she brought a refreshing breeze to Osaka’s Minami area.

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■Two theme songs have been created to liven up the summer in Minami, Osaka!
In Minami, Osaka, where the “Minami Flying Expo 2024 Summer Battle with Mizkan” is being held, the theme song “Boogie Woogie!”, written specifically for the event, and the refreshing theme song “GLASS WINDOW,” created in collaboration between world-renowned pianist Keito Saito and glass harpist Eri Ohashi, will be played throughout the city. The bright boogie-woogie-style theme song will make you want to dance, enlivening the entire city, while the clear sound of the glass harp will create a refreshing summer atmosphere in Minami.

Minami’s new theme song “GLASS WINDOW”


■What is Minami Flying Expo 2024?
“We’re doing it early! Minami Flying Expo 2024” is a project that will utilize the public spaces of Osaka Minami, centered on Dotonbori, Ebisubashi-suji, and Namba Square, to liven up the entire city with various events led by the townspeople from April 13th (Sat) to October 13th (Sun) 2024, one year before the opening of EXPO2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. In conjunction with the launch, two shopping streets in Osaka Minami, “Dotonbori Shopping Association” and “Ebisubashi-suji Shopping Street Promotion Association”, as well as organizations adjacent to the public space of “Namba Square”, have teamed up to launch the “NDK Liaison Committee”. They will fly the Expo and develop “interesting things” in the city.

■Speaker Profile
Keito Saito
Born on November 18, 1978. Studied classical piano from age 6 to 17. From age 15, she studied at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Luxembourg, where she studied under Gary Muller.
Since returning to Japan, he has been active in a wide range of fields, performing in 13 countries around the world, mainly in Europe, as the only boogie-woogie pianist in Japan, as part of the four-hand piano duet unit “Les Frères” with his brother Moriya Saito, as part of the unit KEITO & VASKO “Viano” with Vasco Vassileff (violin), concertmaster of the Royal Opera House in the UK, and as a composer.

Eri Ohashi
The only professional glass harpist in Japan to make a major debut. President of the Japan Glass Harp Association.
He has released five diverse solo albums featuring glass harp, marimba, and kalimba.
He has appeared in many TV shows, commercials, and movies, including “Arashi ni Shiyagare,” “Sekai no Hate Made Itte Q!,” “Hirunandesu,” “Musica Piccolino,” “Tensai Terebikun,” “Hirumae Hotto,” “Todaiou,” and “Ravit!”
He is currently performing in the NHK Taiga drama “To You, the Shining One” and the morning drama series “Wings on a Tiger.”