The 65th Metropolitan Contest and the 44th Metropolitan Elementary School Band Festival Stage Division will be held on the 20th and 21st at Fuchu no Mori (1-chome, Sengen-cho, Fuchu City). Aiming for the national competition in Utsunomiya in October, band members practice wholeheartedly, pouring their souls into every note.

Tokyo Metropolitan Fujimori High School, which has qualified for the metropolitan competition for the first time in three years. This year, they selected J. Hahn’s composition “Galea et Bellum ~ The Untold Story of Scerte van Aisma” as their free piece. The piece dramatically portrays the intense battles and the sorrow for the fallen, inspired by the Eighty Years’ War (War of Independence) that began in the late 16th century. It is a new piece, published in 2018.

At this school, students take the lead in planning practice schedules and events like regular concerts. The selection of the free piece was also handled by the students. The advisor, Mr. Tado Masahiko, specified that it should be “a piece composed in recent years” and “a powerful piece.” The band president, Haruka Tada (3rd year), and other executives took the lead in finding this piece through research, including online resources.

■ Pouring emotions from the bottom of the heart…

Fuchu no Mori

Fuchu no Mori is a cultural and historical park located in Fuchu City, Tokyo, which preserves the area’s deep connection to the ancient Musashi Province. It encompasses the ruins of the Musashi Provincial Government Office (Kokufu), which was the administrative center from the Nara to the Heian periods (8th-12th centuries). The site now features a museum, reconstructed buildings, and peaceful green spaces that honor this significant historical legacy.

Metropolitan Contest

I am not familiar with a specific place or cultural site named “Metropolitan Contest.” It is possible you may be referring to a specific event, competition, or a mistranslation. If you could provide more context or clarify the name, I would be happy to help summarize it.

Metropolitan Elementary School Band Festival

The Metropolitan Elementary School Band Festival is an annual educational event that brings together young musicians from across a city or metropolitan area to perform and celebrate music. It was established to foster musical development, teamwork, and a sense of community among elementary school students. The festival provides a supportive platform for young performers to showcase their skills, often after months of dedicated practice.

Utsunomiya

Utsunomiya is the capital city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, historically known as a castle town and a key post-station on the important Nikko Kaido route during the Edo period. The city is most famous across Japan for its gyoza (dumplings), boasting hundreds of specialized restaurants. While Utsunomiya Castle is now a ruin with a reconstructed gate, the city remains a major economic and transportation hub for the northern Kanto region.

Tokyo Metropolitan Fujimori High School

Tokyo Metropolitan Fujimori High School is a public high school located in Tokyo, Japan, though specific details about its founding and history are not widely documented in public sources. Like many public schools in Japan, it provides a general education curriculum to its students as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s educational system.

Eighty Years’ War

The Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) was a prolonged conflict in which the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands fought for and eventually won their independence from Spanish Habsburg rule. This struggle led to the division of the Low Countries into the independent Dutch Republic in the north and the Spanish-controlled Southern Netherlands in the south. The war was a pivotal event in Dutch history, establishing the Netherlands as a major commercial and naval power and is deeply intertwined with the nation’s founding identity.

War of Independence

The War of Independence refers to the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), in which the Thirteen Colonies fought to secure their independence from Great Britain. The conflict was sparked by issues of taxation without representation and a desire for self-governance, culminating in the colonies’ victory and the establishment of the United States of America.

Scerte van Aisma

I am unable to find any verifiable information on a place or cultural site named “Scerte van Aisma.” It is possible the name is misspelled, from a very localized context, or refers to a private establishment not widely documented in cultural or historical sources. Could you please check the spelling or provide any additional details?