What is the Baton Pass Concert®? The Baton Pass Concert® is a concert series that supports aspiring artists with dreams, featuring emerging young performers who appear in a relay format, each introducing the next artist. The series aims to discover and nurture the next generation of artists, supporting talents across a wide range of genres including classical, pop, and jazz. Highlights In this concert series, each artist introduces the next performer, passing the baton in a relay format. It is our hope that the musical baton will continue to be passed on without end. ⸻ Karen Nobe (Clarinet) Born in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, Karen Nobe began playing the clarinet at the age of 12. She graduated from the Music Department of Saitama Prefectural Omiya Koryo High School and the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed her Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts. Upon completing her graduate studies, she received the Graduate School Acanthus Award. She won First Prize at the 10th Young Clarinetist Competition and Second Prize in the Clarinet Division of the 93rd Japan Music Competition. She was also a first-term member of the New Japan Philharmonic Academy. She has studied under Megumi Ikeda, Kazuo Fujii, Maiko Kawabata, Hidemi Sangai, Kei Ito, and Michiyo Sato. ⸻ Yume Kurosawa (Piano) Yume Kurosawa graduated from the Music High School attached to the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, and subsequently from the university’s Faculty of Music, Instrumental Department. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s Program at the Graduate School of Music, Showa University of Music. In addition to performing in the Ginza Yamaha Chamber Music Series, she has participated in the Ensemble Course for Pianists supervised by Ichiro Nodaira. While active as a soloist, she is also deeply engaged in chamber music and collaborative piano performance. She has studied piano under Ken Matsuura, Marie Komei, Kenji Watanabe, Midori Nohara, Yuuhi Ozaki, and Yoshio Hamano.