University of Leicester

AN UNIQUE LOVE

Mako Komuro (小室 眞子, Komuro Mako, born 23 October 1991), formerly Princess Mako of Akishino (眞子内親王, Mako Naishinnō), is a former member of the Japanese imperial family. She is the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, niece of Emperor Naruhito, and granddaughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko. After marrying outside the imperial family in October 2021, she gave up her title as required by the Imperial Household Law.

Before Marriage:

Before this marriage former princess mako komuro was a researcher at The University Museum, The University of Tokyo.

And the love for which former princess mako komuro had to give up the title of member of imperial household

Mako Komuro was born Princess Mako of Akishino on 23 October 1991 to Fumihito, Prince Akishino, and Kiko, Princess Akishino, at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace, Chiyoda, Tokyo. She has a younger sister, Princess Kako, and a younger brother, Prince Hisahito. Mako was educated at the Gakushūin School in her Primary, Girls' Junior and Senior High School years. She studied English at University College, Dublin (UCD), in July–August 2010.she had an informal talk with the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and she visited Northern Ireland.

The Princess graduated from the International Christian University in Mitaka, Tokyo, on 26 March 2014 with a bachelor's degree in Art and Cultural Heritage. She obtained Japanese national certification in curation as well as a driver's license while she was an undergraduate student.She later studied art history at the University of Edinburgh for nine months, from September 2012 to May 2013.On 17 September 2014, she left for the United Kingdom where she studied at the University of Leicester for a year,receiving an MA degree in Art Museum and Gallery Studies on 21 January 2016. In September 2016, she enrolled in the doctoral course of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, International Christian University

TITLE AND MARRIAGE

Mako was styled as Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako until her marriage on 26 October 2021, after which she became known as Mrs. Mako Komuro.

In May 2017, it was announced that the Princess was expected to marry Kei Komuro.The two had met while both students at International Christian University (ICU), and he had proposed to her in December 2013.

The wedding was originally expected to take place in November 2018, but it was postponed after media reports of Komuro's mother's financial dispute with her former fiancé over ¥4 million ($36,000). Some of the money had been used to pay Komuro's tuition fees, and the dispute resulted in the public's disapproval of the match. Komuro stated that his mother initially believed the money was a gift and added that he wished to pay it back. Princess Mako blamed the postponement on the couple's immaturity at that time.

On 26 October 2021, Princess Mako officially married Komuro following the submission of their marriage document at the local ward office. Like her paternal aunt, Sayako, Princess Nori, and other princesses who married commoners in recent decades she formally lost her title and became a commoner upon marriage as required by Imperial Household Law. In light of the scandals surrounding her husband's family, she also refused the Japanese government's taxpayer funded payment of ¥140 million (US$1.3 million) given to royal women upon leaving the Imperial Family. She is the first female member of the imperial family to forgo an official wedding ceremony and a gift of money from the government.

While awaiting her passport issuance and US Visa, Mako moved to her own residence in the Shibuya district in Tokyo as she is by law not allowed to live at her parents' house inside the imperial quarters. Kei resolved the financial dispute between his mother and her ex-fiancé in November 2021, paying the ex-fiancé an undisclosed sum of money to resolve the debt.The couple departed for New York in mid-November 2021.

Kei Komuro began studying at Fordham University School of Law in August 2018 and graduated with a Juris Doctor in May 2021. He later joined Lowenstein Sandler, a law firm in New York as a law clerk. He passed New York's bar exam in October 2022 and began working as a lawyer in 2023.

This prove that love is really blind and you don't think about to leave other things if you truly love someone...

University of Leicester

OVERVIEW

The University of Leicester offers research-inspired education in science, humanities, law, medicine, the arts and industry, fuelled by world-class research. The university has more than 150 different degrees across 30 subjects.

Leicester is now one of the UK’s top 25 universities and is ranked 170th worldwide. The University of Leicester was voted ‘University of the Year’ by the Times in 2008. The university has a Silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

The university currently has about 20,000 students enrolled, of which 1,500 from more than 80 different countries are international, making Leicester a diverse and welcoming university located in the most multicultural city in the United Kingdom.

HISTORY

The University of Leicester, established in 1921, is among the top universities in the UK. Various undergraduate and postgraduate programs are offered by the university. The University of Leicester is a centre for advanced learning with a world-class infrastructure and highly experienced faculty members. The university has state-of-the-art laboratories, libraries, art studios, computer centres, and other facilities that enable best-in-class learning systems.

Leicester is well renowned for the strength of its research, with the remains of Richard III recently discovered by its Archaeology Department, bringing it into the international spotlight. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is home to the largest university-based space research facility in Europe, and the School of Museum Studies remains one of the country’s top research schools, with the highest research ranking in the UK in Museum Studies.

Courses are taught are academics who can transform the world through creative and life-changing research. Research in Leicester breaks new ground and has an international influence, covering several different fields of real-life applications. Students are introduced to the most up-to-date information and teaching guided by this research as well as encouraged to add their own perspectives.

In addition, Leicester degrees have employability modules built in, along with business placements and study opportunities abroad. These are intended to encourage students to apply academic knowledge to scenarios in the workplace. To this end, to provide students with internships and work opportunities, the university has partnered with various corporate bodies.

Situated in the heart of England, Leicester, with a population of more than 300,000, is a commercial and cosmopolitan area. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, Leicester is only one hour by train from London, and many other major cities and points of interest are within easy reach, including Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare’s birthplace, and both Oxford and Cambridge.

Breakdown of fee structure

Fees for International students range from £17,450 to £21,515

Scholarships

The University of Leicester has a number of scholarships available to international students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Fee discounts, full tuition fee waivers and up to £ 4,000 grants are available across different subjects. For mature students and asylum seekers, there are dedicated scholarships, plus music scholarships and sports scholarships for talented students.

Student statistics

Undergraduate – 72%

Postgraduate – 28%

Full-time students – 89%

Part-time students – 11%

UK students – 76%

EU students – 4%

International students – 20%

Female – 54%

Male – 46%

Total student population – 10,000 – 25,000

Student Life

In the heart of the UK, Leicester is a student-friendly and affordable city. It also has a great sporting reputation with world class festivals, excellent stores, cafés, pubs, clubs and theatres. Beyond the city, there’s beautiful countryside.

The nightlife in the city has bars and clubs that fit all tastes. Famous artists and local up-and-coming bands play at live music venues. Every February, with hundreds of shows and events across Leicester, the UK’s longest-running comedy festival takes over the region. The largest Diwali festivities outside India and the second largest Caribbean carnival in the UK include festivals from many cultures.

More than 250 societies covering arts, sports, traditions, national cultures, politics, activism, hobbies and student media are offered by the Leicester Students’ Union. £ 21 million has been spent on restoring and refurbishing the construction and services of the Students’ Union.

The Students’ Union is home to the UK’s only live music venue on the O2 Academy campus, hosting existing and new bands, plus club events and student nights.

Living Accommodation

University od Leicester guarantees accommodation for all students applying for a room before the deadline of 1st September each year. Students will be loving in either The Village or The City. The Village has distinctive halls with impressive features such as wood panelling and hidden gardens, plus converted Edwardian villas. The area is surrounded by green space, including the university’s botanical garden, in a leafy suburb 3 miles from campus.

The City is self-catered, purpose-built blocks within a 10-minute walk of campus, city centre and train station. There is 24-hour help in both locations, student residential advisors and a packed social calendar open to all students.

Rooms, as well as studio apartments and shared rooms, are available for catering and self-catering. Many students in the second and third years still chose to live in halls, but most live in the city and around it. The accommodation office will assist students who want to live in private rented accommodation outside the halls.

SELF-CATERED Accommodation costs: £87- £179 per week

Transport

On the University of Leicester’s compact campus, all teaching buildings are within a few minutes’ walk of each other. The campus is within walking distance of Leicester train station, while supermarkets, a cinema complex, local stores, bars and restaurants are all nearby.

The campus and the Village accommodation are linked by a shuttle bus service and cycling lanes. The Student Union operates a security bus until 2.00 am. Just 65 minutes away is London St Pancras. There is easy access to airports in the East Midlands and Birmingham, plus direct connections to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton by rail and coach.

Student support

The University’s Student Support Services offers advice and guidance on finance, housing, insurance and personal problems. They also have access to a variety of programs and resources, including confidential counselling and support, to allow for positive student well-being.

Further assistance is provided by the Students’ Union, including a peer mentoring scheme to support students through the university’s opening weeks and months. Students can download a free SafeZone app at any time to call for first aid, protection or security assistance.

A variety of support and welfare programs are also available at the university, such as the Student Counseling Service, which provides a wide range of free and confidential services, including individual counselling, group sessions and workshops. The Wellbeing Program provides assistance and confidential advice. One-to-one and group counselling sessions are provided by the program.

“TROIKA À LA RUSSE” PRESENTED BY CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC, SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019, 6PM, MAHAIWE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

(Great Barrington, MA…) Ukrainian-born pianist Inna Faliks (“adventurous and passionate”— The New Yorker) and Yehuda Hanani present a program rich in Russian lore, Slavic emotionalism, Soviet-era sarcasm, and dazzling virtuosity: the cello/piano sonatas by Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5, which pianist Sviatoslav Richter considered the most difficult piece in the entire piano repertory. Rachmaninoff’s sonata is passionate and emotionally torrential, a survivor from the 19th century. Prokofiev, on the other hand, dubbed “bad boy of Russian music” by the establishment for his earlier avant-garde style, has written here a work that is mellow and reflective. Faliks will evoke Scriabin the mystic who believed he was the musical Messiah. It is music of ecstasy and visions. Faliks, who has appeared with Keith Lockhart, Leonard Slatkin and many of the world’s greatest orchestras, has been praised as a “high priestess of the piano, pianist of the highest order, as dramatic and subtle as a great stage actor.” The concert is a journey in Russian landscapes and into the Russian soul.

Inna Faliks

Yehuda Hanani

Inna Faliks, piano; Yehuda Hanani, cello

In the Close Encounters With Music tradition, each performance is followed by an AFTERGLOW reception, with hors d’oeuvres and wine provided by local restaurants.

Audiences can savor the music and fun as well as the culinary connections with us at our thematic concerts and post-concert receptions this season!

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets, $50 (Orchestra and Mezzanine), $27 (Balcony) and $15 for students, are available at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center box office, 413-528-0100, mahaiwe.org. Pro-rated subscriptions to the seven concert Close Encounters series are available to purchase on our website, cewm.org or by calling 800-843-0778.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani’s charismatic playing and profound interpretations bring him acclaim and re-engagements across the globe. An extraordinary recitalist, he is equally renowned for performances with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, BBC Welsh Symphony, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, I Solisti Zagreb, and Taipei and Seoul symphonies, among others. He has been a guest at Aspen, Bowdoin, Chautauqua, Marlboro, Yale at Norfolk, Round Top (TX), Great Lakes, and Grand Canyon festivals, Finland Festival, Great Wall (China), Leicester (England), Ottawa, Prades (France), Oslo, and Australia Chamber Music festivals, and has collaborated in performances with preeminent fellow musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Aaron Copland, Christoph Eschenbach, David Robertson, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Repin, Dawn Upshaw, Shlomo Mintz, Yefim Bronfman, the Tokyo, Vermeer, Muir, Lark, Avalon and Manhattan quartets, as well as members of the Cleveland, Juilliard, Borromeo, and Emerson. In New York City, Yehuda Hanani has appeared as soloist at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Alice Tully, and the Metropolitan Museum’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. In addition to his pioneering recordings of Charles Valentin Alkan (for which he received a Grand Prix du Disque nomination), Nikolai Miaskovsky, Leo Ornstein, and Eduard Franck, he is one of the originators of thematic programming with commentary that engages and illuminates contemporary audiences.

  “Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has established herself as one of the most exciting, communicative and poetic artists of her generation through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well as genre-bending, interdisciplinary projects. Following acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages, with numerous orchestras, in solo appearances, and with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin and Keith Lockhart. Her 2014 all-Beethoven CD release on MSR Classics drew rave reviews: the disc’s pre-viewer on WTT W Chicago called her “High priestess of the piano…as dramatic and subtle as a great stage actor.” Her MSR Classics CD Sound of Verse featured largely unknown music of Boris Pasternak and works of Rachmaninoff and Ravel. Ms. Faliks’ distinguished career has taken her to thousands of recitals and concerti engagements throughout the U.S., Asia, and Europe, performing at Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paris’ Salle Cortot, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and in the festivals of Verbier, Portland International, Music in the Mountains, Brevard, Taos and Chautauqua. Highlights of recent seasons include a 2016 tour of China, with appearances at the Beijing Center for Performing Arts, Shanghai Oriental Arts Theater and Tianjin Grand Theatre; in the Fazioli Series in Italy and Israel’s Tel Aviv Museum. Faliks is founder and curator of the of the Manhattan Arts Council award-winning poetry-music series “Music/Words,” creating performances in collaboration with distinguished poets. She recently co-starred with Downton Abbey star Lesley Nicol in “Admission—One Shilling,” a play for pianist and actor about the life of Dame Myra Hess, the great British pianist. She went on to create a one-woman show, performing at Baruch Performance Center’s “Solo in the City—Jewish Women, Jewish Stars” Festival in NYC, and at the Ebell of Los Angeles, where she gave the premiere of “Polonaise-Fantaisie, Story of a Pianist,” an autobiographical monologue for pianist and actress. A recent collaboration with WordTheatre features today’s leading screen actors in literary readings. Constantly in dialogue with today’s composers, she is the creator of the “Reimagine: Ravel and Beethoven” project, where composers such as Richard Danielpour, Timo Andres and Paola Prestini are writing works for her in response to Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit and Beethoven’s Bagatelles opus 126. Faliks is currently Professor of Piano and Head of Piano at UCLA.

ABOUT CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC

Close Encounters With Music stands at the intersection of music, art and the vast richness of Western culture. Entertaining, erudite and lively commentary from founder and Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani puts the composers and their times in perspective to enrich and enlighten the concert experience. Since the inception of its Commissioning Project in 2001, CEWM has worked with the most distinguished composers of our time—Joan Tower, Judith Zaimont, Lera Auerbach, Robert Beaser, Kenji Bunch, Osvaldo Golijov, John Musto, and Paul Schoenfield among others—to create important new works that have already taken their place in the chamber music canon and on CD. A core of brilliant performers includes: pianists, Roman Rabinovich, Soyeon Kate Lee, Walter Ponce and Jeffrey Swann; violinists,Shmuel Ashkenasi, Vadim Gluzman, Julian Rachlin, Peter Zazofsky, Itamar Zorman and Erin Keefe; clarinetists Alexander Fiterstein and Charles Neidich; vocalists Dawn Upshaw, Jennifer Rivera, Danielle Talamantes and Kelley O’Connor; the Muir, Manhattan, Ariel, Vermeer, Escher, Avalon, Hugo Wolf, Dover string quartets; and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and guitarist Eliot Fisk. Choreographer David Parsons and actors Richard Chamberlain, Jane Alexander and Sigourney Weaver have also appeared as guests, weaving narration and dance into the fabric of the programs. Close Encounters With Music programs have been presented in cities across the U.S. and Canada—Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Omaha, Cincinnati, Calgary, Detroit, at the Frick Collection and Merkin Hall in New York City, at The Clark in Williamstown, at Tanglewood and in Great Barrington, MA, as well as in Scottsdale, AZ. Summer performances have taken place at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. This year, the High Peaks Festival moved to the Berkshires to the Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA, where it has continued as the educational mission of Close Encounters With Music with fifty international students in residence for an immersive course of study and performance.

  Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani has led the series since its founding, providing entertaining, erudite commentary that puts the composers and their times in perspective to enrich and amplify the concert experience. Each concert is framed by an introduction before the music, and is followed by an AFTERGLOW reception with an opportunity to meet the musicians. Venues include the landmark Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and the newly renovated Saint James Place in Great Barrington. To complement the musical offerings, two guest speakers, Haydn scholar Caryl Clark, and composer Tamar Muskal are featured in the Conversations With…. series at the West Stockbridge Historical Society and Casana T-House in Hillsdale, NY.

2018-2019 CALENDAR

Saturday, February 23, 6 PM, Saint James Place

HAYDN SEEK–DISCOVERING THE HUMOR AND WIT IN PAPA HAYDN

Saturday, March 23, 6 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

RUSSIAN TROIKA–PROKOFIEV, RACHMANINOFF AND STRAVINSKY

Saturday, April 13, 6 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

THE AMERICAN BRASS QUINTET

Saturday, May 18, 6 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

THE ESCHER QUARTET–BARBER, MOZART, SCHUBERT QUINTET

Saturday, June 8, 6 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

GALA: LIKE FATHER-IN-LAW, LIKE SON-IN-LAW–

ANTONIN DVORAK AND JOSEF SUK

Conversations With…

Sunday, April 28, 3 PM, Casana T-House

TAMAR MUSKAL—COMPOSER, SONGWRITER, FASHIONISTA

Close Encounters with Music Presents “Troika a la Russe” at the Mahaiwe “TROIKA À LA RUSSE” PRESENTED BY CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC, SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019, 6PM, …

It’s May in the UK. For good and for ill. Meterologically, May is being peculiar, and politically, the Other May has called a snap election, accused EU officials of meddling in Brexit and the government is hopping like a box of frogs. The refugee “crisis” is ongoing, healthcare and welfare in the UK and the US are more than facing disaster, awful things are happening to LGBT people in the east of Europe and elsewhere, and quite frankly we wouldn’t be surprised if the planet decided to jump ship and leave homo sapiens to fuck itself over in the grand void of space.

Museums in England have failed to close the participation gap between the highest and the lowest socio-economic groups, says the Taking Part report from the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The report does note, however, that in certain areas of participation, museums are making real strides. So, perhaps there’s hope somewhere. 

There was craziness in the Daily Fail over various activities of the National Trust - in particular those making themselves more accessible and open to people from all walks of life. We’re not going to link you to the original article, largely because we don’t want to give that particular redtop any more time than it deserves, but we will link you to an excellent blog by the mighty Rob Clarke from the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, who praises the  NT for trying to do something other than it has, or has been expected to do, historically. Kudos particularly for the Prejudice and Pride project. And yes, we know the NT ain’t exactly punk, but we’re not proud about giving credit where credit is due. 

Fortunately, it’s becoming more and more possible for people to use the internet to educate themselves against such bigotry for free, and museums are often at the forefront of this practice. Recently, the Guggenheim made more than 200 modern art books available to download at the Internet Archive. Go, look, learn. 

The potential, and peril, of the internet and social media is reflected here, in this interesting piece by Chole Turner -  As people trying to use social media for good, for pragmatic critique, it is necessary for us to reflect on the rammifications of our work. We want to talk more, to offer dialogue, conversation and grassroots support. We want to be activists for the good we think museums can do from the ground up - even if destruction has to come first. And it may. *may* *cough*

On the SUPER PLUS side, this glorious thing showed up in our twitter feed the other day  Without wishing to belabour a point, Oh My God YEESS. Shame about bodies is something humans can well do without, particularly those parts of us which help create other people and bring them into the world, and if there is someone out there who can educate, advocate and inspire pride for people with vaginas - and people who associate with vaginas - of all genders, then that can only be a good thing. We have to say, though, the use of imagery in this article does speak volumes about social/internet censorship laws. Here’s the museum’s own website.

Finally, we are in tears over this piece, reflecting on the need to and methods for transmitting stories of the Holocaust, even after the survivors have departed. As memory becomes history, and that history becomes further disconnected from the lives of people today, it becomes ever more important to remember the consequences of intolerance, of fascism, of a form of selfish politics which (apparently) protects only what you know. Museums as agitators can force us to remember when we forget; because innocence is ignorance, and ignorance begets error, and intolerance and an externally located fear, rather than an anxiety about your own capacity to hurt, and to heal. 

Upcoming events

The AAM Expo is taking place in St. Louis 7-10 May . Also in the US, the Emily Lowe Gallery at Hofstra University Museum has just opened the Converging Voices: Gender and Identity exhibition, which will be open until December. 

Fancy getting down with some English weird? Or is that wyrd? Compton Verney is screening The Wicker Man on the 19 May for Museums at Night.

MuseumNext Europe will be taking place in Rotterdam on the 26-28 June. 

Shout Outs

@SYFUCollective are a collective formed from the Baldwin’s Nigger Reloaded Project, who reject the notion that we live in a post-racial, post-patriarchal, post-heteronormative and post-colonial society, and seek to critique the hegemony. Follow them.  

It’s the month of the UK’s @MuseumsAtNight festival. Why not go explore a museum in the darkness. Darkness does strange things to us all.

Book of the Month

The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Oriented Deliberation in View of the Dogmatic Problem of Hereditary Sin, Søren Kierkegaard. Yes, it’s highly problematic at points, and overtly religious always. But, but. It tells us about the human tendency to avoid potential and fear capacity. Yes, it speaks to the anxious politics which has resulted in Brexit and the rise of the right. But, but. To act on our abilities for tolerance, for growth, for expansion as a species, can be imagined as a radical act. Imagine if we all acted on our anxiety to become radically kind.   

Track of the Month

One year ago today, Richard received his honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester.

New photos of Richard during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)

New photos of Richard during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)

New photos of Richard during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)

📷: kirstiemoomin / jessm.smith

A beautiful comment made by a former teacher of Richard about his graduation from University of Leicester.

New photos of Richard during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)

The University of Leicester has shared on their Yotube channel Richard's speech during his graduation.

New photos of Richard during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)

New photos of Richard during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)

📷: mel72455488 / maria_ivieira

New photo of Richard with Richard Thomas during his graduation from University of Leicester. (July 21, 2022)