On May 9, inside of the RCU Theatre at the Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave., Eau Claire), locals of all ages joined together to celebrate the achievements and retirement of Nobuyoshi Yasuda.

Yasuda, the conductor and music director for the Chippewa Valley Symphony (CVSO) and orchestra director at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, had woven his passion for music in both of these respective roles for more than thirty years.

"Maestro's Finale" acted as both a farewell concert Yasuda – plus the CVSO's current season – and an opportunity to showcase notable repertoire and compositions from across his career in Eau Claire.

"Sibelius’ Finlandia" – the first piece he ever conducted – and Gustav Mahler’s "Symphony No. 9," known as his farewell symphony, were of the many tributes to the maestro's 330 years with the CVSO.

Yasuda also brought to life his native Japan during the program, with "Rhapsody for Orchestra" by Japanese composer Yūzō Toyama – which happened to feature the group Peaceful Forest on taiko drums.

"That final concert – May 9th – that was exactly how I envisioned it," Yasusa shared with Volume One in a recent interview. "I had my vision of 'I want to develop this orchestra which can perform this kind of repertoire."

"And also having an incredible guest artist – this time happened to be the Japanese drummer," he continued. "They gave amazing performance... It was my pleasure to introduce real Japanese type of group to this community. That became my kind of joy."

Locals from across many artistic disciplines – many former students of Yasuda – were in attendance that night to witness the "one-in-a-lifetime tribute" to his transformative leadership which shaped the music scenes of the Chippewa Valley we know today.

Read the latest interview with Nobuyoshi Yasuda, former Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra (CVSO) conductor and music director, online at VolumeOne.org. Learn more about the CVSO online or through social media (@ChippewaValleySymphony).