Yuko Mori had these thoughts in mind when she gathered a group of young performers,most of them her own students from the Kansai region and other parts of the world,to form the Nagaoakyo Chamber Ensemble in March 1997,with the cooperation of supporters from her hometown of Nagaoakyo.Ms.Mori is a violinist who has had an international career as a performer and teacher based in France since 1970,and is currently a professor at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Music,She serves as music director of the Ensemble,which is managed by Koichiro Towatari. They first appeared at the 44th Osaka International Festival in April 2002.Having won acclaim from many fans and honor of being invited to Osaka two years in a row,the Ensemble will perform at the 45th Osaka International Festival on April 11,2003. In the latter part of january 2003,the Ensemble was invited to perform at the international midwinter music festival La Folle Journee,held in Nantes,France.This was followed by concert appearances in Paris and Istanbul in early February,and these first overseas performances in Europe received very high marks. Given the rapid expansion of its sphere of activity,it is expected to move up to the next level, and in March 2003,it received the Grand Prize in the ABC Music Prizes from the ABC Music Promotion Foundation.