Violinist and composer Tomoko Omura to release Run, Run, Run, an original short story and musical score that reminds listeners of the devastation of nuclear warfare, in light of the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings – out November 14, 2025 on Outside in Music
Violinist Tomoko Omura is a musician well-loved in the New York Jazz scene, known for her blending of classical technique with jazz improvisation to create songs inspired by Japanese folklore, as heard on Branches, Vol. I & II. Now, spurred on by the current world political climate and the harrowing reminder of the 80th anniversary since Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, Omura combines her abilities to create Run, Run, Run, an original short story and score that explores the devastation of what nuclear warfare really means.
Omura found herself inspired to delve into the realities of understanding the effects of nuclear warfare due to literature and hearing the stories and testimonies of those who survived the 1945 atomic bombings in Japan. “The inspiration to write a story and compose music about nuclear weapons came from a recent read, Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa, which is loosely based on his experiences as a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing,” Omura says. “I was deeply moved by the story, particularly by Gen, the main character, who is around six years old —roughly the same age as my son.” Standing in stark contrast to this literary deep dive was the film Oppenheimer, which despite its commercial success did not depict the devastation wrought by the bomb. This disconnect for many people in the present was a further point that compelled Omura.
With the seeds of inspiration and drive of determination thus set, Omura began researching and reading what nuclear warfare would actually look like in contemporary times so that she could be fully informed and due her diligence to inform others. “Eight decades have passed since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yet the world remains turbulent,” Omura says. “It is crucial to raise awareness about the perilous consequences of nuclear weapons and to emphasize that history must not repeat itself. The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, accompanied by President Putin’s threats of nuclear action underscores this urgency. Similarly, the ongoing Israeli-Iran conflict reflects our troubling times.” With the nature of such a tumultuous international stage, and the voices of those who lived through nuclear disaster fading and increasingly forgotten, Omura decided to use her skill and ability as an artist to create an informed, cautionary tale as an exploratory warning to the wider world of the nature of nuclear warfare and why it must be avoided at all costs.
Run, Run, Run is the name of both Omura’s original short story and the accompanying original music, featuring her steadfast quintet. The title derives its name from the premise of the story itself. The narrative follows a young girl as she races through the devastated streets of New York after an atomic bombing. As the character runs, she witnesses layers of the catastrophe unfold around her, all the while seeking out her family. The accompanying music encapsulates the character’s emotional journey from the initial shock, loss, and confusion, to the final, fragile but determined hope that emerges from the human spirit in the face of grave disaster.
The titles of each piece and their ordering on such an album are inherently programmatic, and outline the plot and purpose of this narrative in its entirety. The track listing, and thus storytelling direction, of Run, Run, Run
- Brooklyn Day
- The Flash
- Hiroshima
- The Firestorm
- Black Rain
- The Tunnel
- The Birthplace
- City of Ghosts
In particular, Omura seeks to highlight “The Birthplace,” which is a historically informed tale of New York City itself and the city’s role in nuclear weaponry. The track’s title is a direct nod to the idea of The Manhattan Project, where nuclear weaponry was first born. “New York City carries a complex legacy with nuclear arms,” Omura says. “It created them, housed them, and eventually became one of the first places to ban them. As a parent of a five-year-old living in New York City, I find this history both fascinating and deeply personal.”
The tracks “Brooklyn Day” and “The Flash” work together by standing in stark contrast to set the scene and develop the narrative. “Brooklyn Day” is an optimistic, hopeful piece built on Major 7th chords in a Perfect 5th sequence that seeks to emulate the evolving, vibrant culture within its namesake city. “The Flash” describes the jarring emotion of the story’s protagonist being thrown from the prior idyllic setting and suddenly seeing the flash of an atomic weapon go off near her school. This piece creates a haunting, chaotic sound to reflect the inner turmoil of the narrative’s protagonist, Lila, and external destruction of the city itself.
The album concludes with “City of Ghosts,” which concludes the narrative with a dramatic revelation: the protagonist discovers that she died the moment the flash occurred. The narrator floats above Manhattan as she views her beloved city and wistfully thinks of her family, hoping they are not alone. The piece uses a ⅝ meter to create an off-kilter lullaby to Lila as she discovers the tragedy of her reality, using violin and piano solos to explore her emotional state. The track concludes with a surprise ending of arpeggiations, painting the image of the entire scene being wiped to white instantly.
Run, Run, Run is a powerful story brought to life by a powerful ensemble. Featuring Jeff Miles (guitar), Glenn Zaleski (piano), Pablo Menares (bass), Jay Sawyer (drums), and bandleader Tomoko Omura (violin), Omura’s ensemble is intimately acquainted with each other’s voices and stylings, having played together for over a decade. This depth of musical relationship came to the fore with the fast timeline of the album itself, having only two rehearsals and a live premier prior to stepping into the studio, yet achieving a synergy of incredible synchronicity. Tomoko praises her band similarly: “Despite the time constraints, I had complete confidence that the band would bring something extraordinary to the music. That level of trust allowed us to work spontaneously and capture something authentic that reflects both our individual growth and our collective musical intuition.”
Omura has created a standout piece of multifaceted art with Run, Run, Run that engages her audience on multiple tiers simultaneously. Using the media of fiction and music simultaneously to explore ideation allows her to get a salient message across in new ways. “While my ultimate hope is that we can all move toward a world free of nuclear weapons, my immediate goal with this project is to raise awareness about these issues,” Omura says. “Music has the power to reach people emotionally in ways that statistics and policy discussions cannot, and I believe that’s where real change begins—with understanding and empathy.”
Run, Run, Run releases November 14, 2025 via Outside in Music. It will be available as a CD, and digitally on all platforms except Spotify, due to the platform’s investment into AI-related military tech. This project is made possible by Chamber Music America’s Artistic Project fund, generously funded by the Howard Gilman Foundation.