Japan Airlines (JAL)’s flight attendant volunteers, forming a musical bell performance team “JAL Bellstars,” held a Christmas concert on December 25 at Haneda Airport.
The JAL Bellstars began their activities in 1995, marking their 30th year this year. Each year, a team of eight volunteer flight attendants is formed to perform at airports and other locations nationwide during the Christmas season. Generally, the members change every year, but one member continues to participate the following year, serving as a leader to pass on know-how to new members.
Exceptionally this year, Mina Tsutsumi and Kanako Nomura, participated again, following their involvement in 2023. Tsutsumi, the leader from 2023, also served as this year’s leader, with Nomura supporting as a sub-leader. The 2023 members were primarily composed of the 2022 members, who had fewer performance opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the third participation for Tsutsumi and Nomura.
The other six members were new participants selected from over 20 applicants, forming a team with abundant musical experience capable of playing the piano, clarinet, flute, among other instruments.
The activities started from October 1, practicing in their spare time from work, refining their performance skills, and paying detailed attention to smiling and eye contact to make the performance more attractive.
This year, as a new initiative marking their debut, they hosted a paid event “JAL Premium Night” on November 28 before the regular concerts nationwide, where attendees could enjoy performances while dining on mid-haul international business class in-flight meals at a mock-up facility at Haneda Airport. The initial capacity was quickly filled, so additional slots were secured due to high demand.
The usual concerts started on December 3 at Haneda Airport Terminal 1, followed by performances in Hakodate City’s Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse on December 7, Takeda City in Oita Prefecture on December 13, Nikaho City in Akita Prefecture on December 15, Grand Nikko Tokyo Odaiba on December 21, and at “Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara” in Sapporo City on December 22, culminating in this year’s final performance on Christmas Day at Haneda Airport.
In front of the Edo Stage on the fourth floor of Terminal 3, where the venue was located, a large audience gathered, having heard the announcement. The members, using the newly acquired 70 musical bells this year, performed 12 songs during the approximately 30-minute performance, including “Sleigh Ride,” “Joy to the World,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “The Hurried Santa Claus,” “It’s a Small World,” “Disney Fantasy Spring Medley,” “Christmas for Lovers,” “Silent Night,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Jingle Bells.”
▲ Mina Tsutsumi (center), who continued as leader from 2023
The JAL Bellstars’ activities for this year concluded with the performance on the 25th. Leader Tsutsumi expressed her raw feelings, saying, “I can’t quite believe it’s over.”
The theme chosen by the members for this year’s performances was, “BE JOYFUL! 〜Creating Sparkling Music Together〜.” They aimed to create concerts where they could enjoy the sounds together with the audience. Tsutsumi reflected, stating scenes where spontaneous applause broke out among the audience or tears were shed showed, “the fun we have playing music surely spreads to our audience.”
“We received energy from our audiences every time, making us feel happy and motivated for the next performance,” Tsutsumi said. “I hope the members can apply this experience to their future flights,” she concluded.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
