On October 25, 2024, the Min-On Concert Association organized “The Japan-Croatia Friendship Elis Lovrić & Utako Toyama Concert,” one of the latest in a cultural exchange series promoting bilateral relations.
Held at Min-On’s Music Hall in Tokyo, the event was attended by His Excellency Drazen Hrastic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Croatia to Japan, his wife, Blaženka Hrastič, and some 150 other concertgoers. The performance was made possible through the cooperation and support of the Croatian Embassy in Tokyo.
Ambassador Hrastic opened the performance with welcoming remarks, followed by a slide show introducing the history and rich culture of Croatia. For the concert, Croatia-born vocalist and guitarist Elis Lovric partnered with Utako Toyama, a Japanese vocalist and pianist who currently resides in London.
They sang songs and performed scores from their respective homelands, singing in Japanese, Croatian and English. Among the 14 pieces they played, three were chosen to show their call for peace—the original composition “Dvije Kapi Mora” (Two Drops of Ocean), the Japanese “Moshi Umi Ga” and “We Declare Peace.”
For an encore, the duet performed “Ja Ca Je,” which the audience responded with joy and enthusiasm.
Prior to the concert, Ambassador Hrastic, Mr. Lovric and Ms. Toyama met with Min-On President Koji Yamaguchi and other association executives. They later toured the classic pianos and music boxes in Min-On Music Library’s collection.
Min-On wishes to thank its sustaining members for making this and other association initiatives possible.
