The concert notice at the entrance.
Ms. Hasegawa explaining about the music and composers before the audience at the concert.
The counter tenor singing near the organ on the second floor.
Meiji Gakuin is one of the oldest Christian schools in Japan, with a comprehensive educational institution from junior high school through graduate school. Founded by Dr. James Curtis Hepburn in 1863, it began as the Hepburn School English Academy in Yokohama. Meiji Gakuin Chapel, designed and built by William Merrell Vories in 1916, was designated as part of the Tangible Cultural Properties of Minato City and Historic Landmarks Especially Important for the Landscape of Tokyo.
The Meiji Gakuin Chapel is usually closed to the public and used for school events and such like. But it throws open its doors when concerts are held there, distributing leaflets to community centers and the stores of neighborhood shopping streets so that the local residents can be involved in a more close and direct way.
Pipe organ concerts featuring western music with a focus on Baroque music have been held twice or three times a year in this chapel since 2010. This pipe organ, built by reproducing 17th and 18th century organ construction techniques, is suitable for playing the music of the Bach era.
Jan Ernst (Organist)
Born in Germany, Jan Ernst attended the Hamburg University of Music as well as the Amsterdam Schwerin Graduate School, specializing in organ performance and improvisation. With a stunning resume of rigorous studies in organ performance, Mr. Ernst is well versed in church music, winning competitions and scholarships alike. Since 1992, he has been teaching organ and improvisation, and in 1992, he became the Schwerin Cathedral organist and cantor. He is famous in Europe, the United States, as well as Japan as a conductor of church music and performs all over the world.
Meinderd Zwart (Counter Tenor)
Born in Indonesia, Meinderd Zwart is a highly sought after voice soloist, having studied at conservatoriums such as the Amsterdam School of Arts and masters classes in England, Belgium, and Holland. From a young age, Mr. Zwart has been involved in choirs, and studied voice for many rigorous years. With a wide range in his repertoire, he has most recently produced a CD series of early Baroque music, and performed with Jan Ernst around the world.
Chapel Concert Ticket Office
Meiji Gakuin Educational Foundation
1-2-37, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8636
Tel：+81-(0)3-5421-5230(Week day 9:00-16:00）
Fax：+81-(0)3-5421-5236
Meiji Gakuin Chapel(Minato City, Tokyo)
