Music From Japan Presents 40th Anniversary Festival at Asia Society New York with Two Concerts of Traditional and Contemporary East Asian Music, February 7-8, 2015
Music From Japan (MFJ) and Asia Society are pleased to announce MFJ’s 40th Anniversary Festival, which will feature cross-cultural collaborations between musicians from Japan, China, Korea and the United States in two concerts at Asia Society, in New York, followed by a tour to Washington, D.C., Fukushima City and Tokyo. MFJ is the leading presenter of Japanese contemporary and traditional music in the United States and around the world.
Two unique programs will be presented during the New York chapter of the festival. The first—East Asian Vibrancy on Saturday, February 7, at 8:00 p.m.—will introduce audience members to traditional and contemporary repertoire for three East Asian instruments: the Japanese sho, the Korean komungo, and the Chinese pipa. The performers are each known worldwide for their versatility and virtuosity as soloists and ensemble players: Mayumi Miyata will perform on sho, Jin Hi Kim on komungo and electric komungo, and Wu Man on pipa. A pre-performance lecture-demonstration will be held with Ralph Samuelson and each of the performers at 7:00 p.m.
The second program—Highlights of Music From Japan Commissions III on Sunday, February 8, at 2:00 p.m.—will feature two world premieres by Japanese composers Michio Kitazume and Yoichi Sugiyama presented alongside three compositions commissioned by MFJ in previous years. Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) and Fred Sherry (cello) will be joined by other world class musicians in their performance of these MFJ-commissioned works. An open forum moderated by Fred Sherry with composers Ned Rothenberg, Yoichi Sugiyama, and Michio Kitazume will follow the concert.
Download the complete press release for details about each of the concerts.