The following is an interview with Hiromi Uehara, a keyboardist from Hamamatsu, who will give a concert at ACT City Hamamatsu Concert Hall on Thursday, November 26.

“Maybe you see the ‘Hamamatsu spirit’ in me looking like a totally different person on stage (laugh)” -- Hiromi Uehara

-----Do you remember when the 1st Hamamatsu Competition was held?
I recall the TV news reporting that an international piano competition was going to be held in Hamamatsu. I thought it was great that pianists from all over the world would come and play in this town and I was glad about it.

----- What do you recommend about Hamamatsu?
Eels, as you would expect..., I know it’s too ordinary (laugh). Everyone in Hamamatsu has their favorite eel restaurant; every family has a particular eel restaurant which they order delivery from. So everyone has a different opinion as to which restaurant is the best. You start eating eels when you are a child and you always have eels from the same restaurant for many years..., it’s like your palate is gradually ‘customized’ to that taste. That is, in Hamamatsu people eat eels much more often than anywhere else. Ordering delivery from your ‘favorite eel restaurant’ is for special occasions, such as someone’s birthday and New Year’s holiday, when friends and families get together. And you could also buy eels at local supermarkets, which is also good. Talking about places, I recommend Nakatajima Sand Dunes. I think this is the best spot in Hamamatsu to watch the sunrise on New Year’s Day -- it is a scene that cleanses your soul.

----- Do you ever find the “Hamamatsu spirit” in yourself?
In general, people in Hamamatsu are relaxed and do things at their own pace. However, when Hamamatsu Matsuri (Hamamatsu festival) comes they show enormous energy. They are so energetic that it looks as if they were quiet for most of the year in order to save the energy for the festival (laugh). The festival also has a lot of musical fun, such as gekineri, a parade of trumpet band. The parade of goten yatai (palace-like floats) is also a spectacular feature. I was very much excited about the festival as a child. It is the festival Hamamatsu can boast about to the world. Living a relaxed and quiet life while building up the energy for the festivities -- if this is the ‘Hamamatsu spirit’, maybe you see it in me looking like a totally different person on stage (laugh).

----- What kind of place is Hamamatsu for you?
When I come to play in Hamamatsu, I feel that I’m coming home and that this is my hometown which always supports me. This place has made me what I am. It’s my absolute home, which makes me feel relaxed every time I come back. I love this town so much!

Profile
Born in 1979 in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Uehara started playing the piano at age 6 and studied musical composition at Yamaha School of Music. She played with Chick Corea when she was 17 and entered Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1999. While still in college, she signed a contract with a prestigious jazz record label, Telarc, and made her world debut in 2003 with the album ‘Another Mind’. Having moved her base from Boston to New York in 2005, Uehara has been actively performing around the world. In 2009, she became the first Japanese artist who gave a one-week show at Blue Note New York in five consecutive years.