Asia Society and the Japan Foundation Present

HOGAKU: NEW SOUNDS OF JAPAN 2008

Saturday, January 12, 2008
8:00 pm – Performance
at Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, NYC

7:00 pre-performance lecture with
Mr. Takafumi Tanaka, Hogaku Journal

Re-envisioning Japanese traditional music within a contemporary context, two exciting new interpreters of Japanese traditional music, or Hogaku, perform at Asia Society on Saturday, January 12. The performance of these master musicians is strongly based in the exuberant Japanese folk tradition, combining both music and dance. Wariki, a quartet with Akira Katogi on taiko (drum) and buyo (Japanese traditional dance), Shunsuke Kimura on fue (flute), Etsuro Ono on Tsugaru shamisen (plucked lute), and Shingo Ikegami on koto (zither), breathe new life into the traditional folk arts of Japan. The Goto & Obama Duo consists of Yukihiro Goto on biwa (lute) and Akihito Obama on shakuhachi (bamboo recorder).

"It's exciting to see that traditional music and artists can make music that is so contemporary and so hip," says Rachel Cooper, Director of Cultural Programs, Asia Society. Wariki's performance has been described as "at the height of exhilaration," by the Tokyo-based Hogaku Journal. Shikoku Newspaper calls Akihito Obama "one of the most original shakuhachi players of our time."

Takafumi Tanaka, Chief Editor, Hogaku Journal, will give a pre-performance lecture on the interface between art and entertainment, in classical and contemporary contexts, beginning at 7:00 pm, followed by the concert at 8:00 pm.

Ticket prices for the performance are $20 for Asia Society members/students/seniors and $25 for nonmembers. For tickets and information, call 212-517-ASIA or visit www.AsiaSociety.org/arts/hogaku.html. Members of the press interested in the performance should contact Asia Society's public relations department at 212-327-9271 or pr@asiasoc.org.

This event is co-presented with the Japan Foundation.

(For artist bios and instrument descriptions, please click here.)

Asia Society
Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of the United States and Asia. The Society seeks to increase knowledge and enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and Washington, DC. On the web at www.AsiaSociety.org.

The Japan Foundation
Established in 1972 under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan Foundation is Japan's principal agency for international cultural relations. Through its headquarters in Tokyo and 19 overseas offices in 18 countries, the Japan Foundation conducts a wide range of programs concerning arts and cultural exchange, Japanese-language education, Japanese Studies and intellectual exchange, as well as consultation to various actors involved in international cultural exchange with Japan. In the United States, the Foundation is represented by its offices in New York and Los Angeles. For more information, contact the Japan Foundation, New York, 152 West 57th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10019. On the web at www.jfny.org or www.jpf.go.jp.

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Contact: Elaine Merguerian at 212-327-9271