VALPARAISO -- Even after a devastating earthquake and tsunami, for 40 world-renowned Japanese musicians, the show must go on.
The Bach Collegium of Japan left its home country for an American tour the Monday after the earthquake hit. On Saturday night, the group played at Valparaiso University.
"Music is a sort of food for our soul," conductor Masaaki Suzuki said. "We can't live without music, so that's really essential for us."
Half a world away from home, the Japanese performers tried to concentrate on the music while putting away worries about their home.
"In a way it is very hard for us to concentrate in performance and to forget everything in Japan. It is not possible," Suzuki said.
But the music does help them cope, Suzuki said.
"We have directly seen how much music can help us, mentally and almost physically as we get the energy from the music, so it is very important to keep performing," he said.
The group left only a couple of days after the earthquake and tsunami. None of the performers were injured, but the scenes they have seen on the news have been hard to watch. Still, Suzuki said, they can't take their eyes away.
"We are following the news every minute actually," he said.
The group performed Bach's Mass in B Minor. Suzuki said it is his favorite piece to perform.
