TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Yamaha Corporation (hereafter, Yamaha) and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Yamaha Motor) came together for an event “Two Yamahas, One Passion -RIDERS MEET PIANIST-” held at Yamaha Hall in Ginza, Tokyo on Wednesday, October 17th, 2018. This event saw five riders in MotoGP (Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix), Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales, Johann Zarco, Hafizh Syahrin, and Katsuyuki Nakasuga sharing a stage with world-renowned pianist and composer Francesco Tristano to deliver a group talk session, after which Mr. Tristano performed an original new piece in an international debut.

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Yamaha Corp. and Yamaha Motor held the event, at which five MotoGP riders and a world-renowned pianist took a stage. (Photo: Business Wire)

A concept movie has been created based on the messages given by these six people and built on the theme of this event, “personal growth attained by refining sensitivity, continuous practice, and the 'Kando' born thereof." A video digest chronicling the event along with the performances given is now available for viewing on our website, in addition to an event summary.

(*) Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.

[Concept Movie (Approx. 150 seconds)]



[Video Digest (Approx. 15 minutes)]



[Website] 

While Yamaha and Yamaha Motor may represent vastly different industries—the former specializing in musical and audio devices, and the latter in motorcycles and marine products—the two are linked by their mutual desire to create “Kando” with their customers, presenting artists and athletes alike with the musical instruments and machines that inspire exquisite sensitivity and performances surpassing expectation, and indeed inspiring “Kando” within all who witness them.

As companies sharing the same “Yamaha” brand, these manufacturers are continuing their joint initiatives for enhancing the value of their brand with “Two Yamahas, One Passion” as the key theme. As of this year, both Yamaha Corp. and Yamaha Motor have dubbed the days celebrating their respective anniversaries as “Yamaha Day” (October 12th for the former, July 1st for the latter) with various activities planned for the days leading up to and following that date. This event was one such example of how they intend to celebrate.

During this event, presenters related stories on the concept of “Kando,” a key value shared by both of these companies, relating how products such as musical instruments and motorcycles were near and dear to their hearts and drawing parallels between the vastly different roles played by musician and rider. Mr. Tristano went on to present a world-premiere new composition called “Time Grid,” which he was inspired to pen after watching the MotoGP race held this year August in the Czech Republic. Deftly bending Yamaha’s concert grand piano CFX, the MONTAGE, and the Reface CS synthesizers to his artistic will, Mr. Tristano took audience members on a journey to the racetrack, weaving the tense silence of the grid with the white-hot fervor of the race, bridging a connection between the five MotoGP riders and the audience at the venue. With many other crowd-pleasing moments, such as Johann Zarco’s surprising talk-session revelation of his passion for the piano, capped off by his own impromptu performance, the “Two Yamahas” event was clearly a rousing success, providing unique experiences one could not find anywhere else.

During the concept movie made to portray the theme of this event, riders Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales, Johann Zarco, Hafizh Syahrin, Katsuyuki Nakasuga, and Francesco Tristano each related moving anecdotes on how they have trained and cultivated their sensitivity when they achieved personal growth with “Kando.”.

The coordinators from Yamaha and Yamaha Motor had this to say: “Putting a pianist up on the same stage as a group of riders was certainly a daring move, but we are pleased that the event attracted so much attention. Going forward, we have every intention of using these collaborative initiatives to demonstrate the value unique to the 'Yamaha' brand for our customers to enjoy.”

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About Yamaha Corporation

Since its founding in 1887, the Yamaha Corporation Group has developed its business activities focusing on musical instruments, audio products, Yamaha music schools, and other products and services related to sound and music. With its unique expertise and sensibilities, gained from our devotion to sound and music, Yamaha is committed to creating excitement and cultural inspiration together with people around the world. Please visit: 

About Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was established in 1955 by spin-off of the motorcycle manufacturing department from Nippon Gakki/Yamaha Corporation. Yamaha Motor is a world-leading producer of motorcycles, marine products, power products and robotics. The company’s diverse business and wide variety of products are built around its proprietary technologies focused on powertrains, fiberglass-reinforced plastics and electronic control. Yamaha Motor conducts global development, production and marketing operations through 140 subsidiaries and equity-method affiliates in 30 countries. About 90% of consolidated net sales are generated in more than 200 countries outside of Japan. The company is steadily restructuring its global engineering, manufacturing and marketing capabilities for sustainable long-term growth. Please visit: 

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