Tickets £7 / £5
Past
3 December 2023 Saitama, Japan
12月3日（日）
木村俊介×Kit Downes
別つもの、超えるもの 〜五つのテーマによる、対話的即興～
柏屋楽器フォーラム ホール
埼玉県さいたま市浦和区岸町7-1-9
https://insho.kmlw.net/sch/2312.html
October 2023
Noh Reimagined Takes Tokyo’s Noh Theatre by Storm
31 October, 7pm, Tessenkai Noh Theatre, Tokyo
Showcasing the Triumphant Collaboration from Noh Reimagined 2022 in London with Celebrated Noh Performers and the LGBTQ+ Dance Duo Thick & Tight!
https://www.confetti-web.com/noh-reimagined
2023年10月31日 (火) 7時開演
能リ・イマジンド 英ロンドン凱旋公演『12拍子の三番叟』
2022年6月にロンドンで開催され、観客の圧倒的な喝采を受けての凱旋公演は、能の古典「三番叟」とイギリスの現代舞踊とのコラボレーション今、イギリスで注目度ナンバーワンのLGBTQ+ダンスデュオThick & Tightと能楽師が創造する異次元の祝祭空間が東京に出現。
会場：銕仙会能楽研修所（東京都港区南青山4-21-29）
https://www.confetti-web.com/noh-reimagined
September 2023
Noh Welcome Workshop
26 September, CBSO Centre, Birmingham
As part of a 2-year cross-cultural exploration with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the young talented composers Hollie Harding and Ben Nobuto, Noh Reimagined will present an interactive workshop with the Hosho school Noh actor Noboru Sano for musicians and audiences in Birmingham.
Noh Discovery Afternoon with Noboru Sano Monday
25 September, University of Sheffield
25th September 15:00-18:00 Adelphi Room, Crucible Theatre The School of East Asian Studies (SEAS) at the University of Sheffield is delighted to introduce a Noh workshop in collaboration with Noh Reimagined.
Noh-Discovery-Afternoon-with-Noboru-SanoDownload PDF
Revisiting Sumidagawa: In Conversation with Sano Noboru and Dr Alan Cummings
The Japan House Noh Sumidagawa Seminar
24 September, 14:00-15:00: The Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Japan House London
Booking essential – admission free – book tickets here
能「隅田川」をたずねて。佐野登とアラン・カミングスの対談
Creative Workshop with the Noh Actor Noboru Sano
20-22 September – The Place
15 selected professional choreographers will join the two day creative workshop with the Noh actor Noboru Sano.
See further information on The Place website
26th & 27th April 2022
Thick & Tight workshop at Dance Base Yokohama
Thick&Tight 集中ワークショップ | Dance Base Yokohama
Tuesday, 30 November 2021 from 18:30
The Embassy of Japan
WAGASHI Confectionery from Kyoto and Beyond
link to the live stream
Tue 16 November 12:00 GMT
In collaboration with Japan Foundation London, Mu:Arts will present a webinar;
A Portrait Of A Noh Theatre – Yarai Nohgakudo
Detail here
Tue 25—Sat 29 Jan 2022,The Pit, Barbican Centre
Thick & Tight will showcase preview of new piece inspired by Japanese Noh theatre, commissioned by the Noh Reimagined Festival as part of the London International Mime Festival
more information
28 July 2021
Webinar on Wagashi ( Japanese confectionary) by Keiko Nakayama of Toraya Archive, curated by Mu: Arts, in collaboration with the Japan Foundation.
18th &19th May 2021
at National Noh Theatre (Tokyo)
Noh Reimagined x Nature Unwrapped 2021 as part of Tokyo Tokyo Festival
Spring 2021
Akiko and azuki foundation will collaborate with Dartington for their spring festival 2021. Details will come soon.
Yanagisawa will participate in the conference Fair International Cultural Cooperation – Language on 18th September 2020, present her view on the theme.
How can international cultural cooperation be organised in a way that is fair with respect to (differences in) language? An expert meeting addresses this question during Forum on European Culture.
Noh Reimagined 2021: Spirits of Flowers
New dates announced!
18th &19th June 2021
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/noh-reimagined/
French baroque and Noh. 9th-13th October 2019
New exciting collaboration with Lyon based baroque ensemble Le Concer Hostel Dieu will start this October.
We are visiting Lyon to explore new ideas and narrative that connect French baroque and Noh.
http://www.concert-hosteldieu.com/about-us/
9th-13th October 2019. Lyon, France, French baroque music meets Noh R&D project
Working with the Lyon based baroque ensemble Le Concer Hostel Dieu, we had a successful R&D workshop.
The narrative of the project is inspired by the award winning novelist Yoko Ogawa’s “Yasashi Uttae”
Watch video
3th, 4th August 2019 Tête à Tête Opera Festival
Venue: 10 Tollgate Drive, SE21 7LS
“THE鍵KEY” peers in on a secretive family and newcomer Kimura, as their lives take a dramatic turn following the husband’s new year resolution. Fresh from its sell-out Tokyo run, this site-specific, Anglo-Japanese work invites audiences to become voyeurs as they move freely around a private residence to eavesdrop on small ensembles of singers, a dancer, and Japanese and Western instruments as this intimate drama unfolds…
Crossing boundaries. Peering into private lives. London Festival of Architecture
27th June starting at 6:30pm
In Collaboration with Powell Tuck Associates, the award winning architect office, we will presents a talk and a performance evening to provide insights of THE鍵KEY: Francesca Le Lohé ‘s new work inspired by Junichiro Tanizaki’s book of the same title ‘The Key’ (1956).
https://www.powelltuckassociates.co.uk/peering-into-private-lives
KIMURA Shunsuke x Kit DOWNES- Fue and Jazz Piano Performance
3rd June 2019 starting at 6:30pm at Japan House, London
https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/whats-on/kimura-shunsuke-x-kit-downes/
THE鍵KEY: 2019年公演 /THE鍵KEY: 2019 Performances
日付：2019年5月19日・25日・26日 / Dates: May 19th, 25th and 26th 2019
会場:平櫛田中邸・アトリエ、東京 / Venue: Denchu Hirakushi House, Tokyo
主催：「鍵」プロジェクト実行委員会 / Production: ‘Kagi’ Executive Committee
助成：アーツカウンシル東京 / Funding: Arts Council Tokyo
真夏の「能楽」公演 2019年8月10日（土）
Mid Summer Noh Perfromance 10th August 2019, Yatsugatake Kogen Music Hall, Nagano, Japan
今をときめく能楽界の実力者達による夏の饗宴。
能の名曲「熊野」、舞囃子「安宅」のほか、仕舞や素囃子など
能の魅力のエッセンスを凝縮してお届けします。
午後3時30分 開場／午後4時00分 開演（約60分）
ワークショップ同時開催 午後1時15分～午後２時３０分
能の所作とお囃子の面白さの秘密を、一流能楽師らによるお話と体験を通じて発見していただきます。大人も子供もお気軽にご参加ください。
2nd January 2019
Yatsugatake Kogen Ongakudou (Yatsugatake mountain Concert Hall, Nagano, Japan) New Year Noh performance.
Clásicos en Alcalá, Festival de las Artes Escénicas 、Madrid, Spain
Noh workshop 5pm 4th July 2018
Noh performance 9pm 4th July 2018
Noh Reimagined 2018
29th and 30th June 2018
Following the highly successful Noh Reimagined festival in 2016, it is returning with an exciting new line-up and theme. Noh Reimagined 2018 will shed light on the unique dramaturgy of this 650-year-old artform, Mugen (‘phantasmal’) Noh, in which the main actor plays a ghost in the dream of a monk, transporting audiences to a world of illusion.
The festival will look at these surreal elements of Noh, along with its use of time, space and symbolism. Six renowned Noh performers from Japan will be joined by innovative artists, neuroscientists and Noh researchers to explore these themes through interdisciplinary performances, talks, demonstrations and workshops.
7th OCT 2018
LOFT Jazz Festival ( Shenzhen, China)
「速流笛破」- 一噌幸弘四重奏 SOKURYU-TEKIHA – Yukihiro Isso Quartet
12 Oct 2017 20:00-21:00
Mr Potsunen’s Peculiar Slice of Life by Kentaro Kobayashi
5-8 July 2017 Print Room Coronet , Notting Hill Gate, London.
Mr Potsunen’s Peculiar Slice of Life is a stage show by the award-winning performing artist from Tokyo, Kentaro Kobayashi, who portrays the mysterious ‘Mr Potsunen’. Featuring his original animations and manga-style drawings as a part of the scenic design, he invites the audience to his picturesque world where one-man show, art and magic are carefully merged together to form an act of humour and grace.info. Press Release
29 June- 1st July Maison de la Culture du Japon , Paris info
Noh Reimagined – The contemporary art of classical Japanese theatre
13,14th May 2016 Kings Place, London
Noh is a total art form comprising drama, music and dance. Originating in Japan in the 14th century, it is one of the oldest unbroken performance traditions in the world. This two-day festival explores the art of Noh, in particular its aesthetic concepts and uniquemusical rhythms and tempos, which continue to inspire artists across diverse art forms.
Some of the finest Noh performers from Japan will present selections from classical Noh masterpieces such as Takasago and Toru. Master Shiteactor-performer, Yoshimasa Kanze, will dance to Noh percussion instruments punctuated by the space, voice and haunting pitches of the nohkan (flute) played by Yukihiro Isso.
The festival will transform Kings Place into another world.
Noh Reimagined in Kings Place What’s On April-August 2016
For more details and booking click here.
Yukihiro Isso /// Takinojo Mochizuki /// Leon Michener – Saturday 6th February – 8pm at iklectikartlab
http://iklectikartlab.com/
Yukihiro Isso with Roger Turner & Takinojo Mochizuki & John Edwards
( and celebration of album launch)at Cafe Oto 4th February 2016.
For booking and info here
Noh Project UK 2016 starts 10 August.
This year, it is linked with Sound and Music’s Portfolio Programme to develop new compositions by two emerging English composers in partnership with mu:arts.
Kachimba 4 from Okinawa is selected for off WOMEX showcase artist!
Budapest, Hungary 21-25 October 2015
Shibusa Shirazu Orchestra at Torino Jazz Festival 31st May , 21:00 Piazza San Carlo
Kentaro Kobayashi: Mr Potsunen’s Peculiar Slice of Life (UK Premiere)
3 & 4 February 2015 Leicester Square Theatre, London
Tokyo’s most creative comedy artist is coming to London!
Utterly artistic, unique and quirky! Mr Potsunen pops out from a funny and adventurous dream.
Kentaro’s theatrical works have been so popular in Japan that hopeful audience members have to draw lots to win the right to buy a ticket! Kentaro has gained fame from a short film series “The Japanese Tradition ” which has become an internet phenomenon, one of which “ Shazai ” was the official selection for short film competition at Berlin Film Festival in 2007. This will be the first chance for a UK audience to see him perform live on stage!
Culturescapes and mu:arts present AKI&KUNIKO Swiss tour 30 October – 7th November
10/30（Thu） Bird’s Eye Club(Basel)
11/1 （Sat） Im Rathaus um 4 (Thun)
11/4 （Tue） Teatro Sociale (Bellinzona)
11/6 （Thu） Kulturpunkt (Flawil)
11/7 （Fri） ADEM (Geneve)
more details on Culturescapes web page
mu:arts coordinates
Music from Okinawa at WOMEX 14 in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 22-26 October
11am -Thu 23 October – Asia Pacific Networking meeting
16:30 – 18:00 Firday 24 October – Music Reception featuring SAKISHIMA MEETING
stand no 140-141
Hiroaki Takenouchi at Classical Next 14 official live showcase 14-17 May 2014
Japan-Siwss 2014 Project 1
Shunsuke Kimura & Etsuro Ono concerts at Museum Ethnography 6,7th February 2014
Musée d’ethnographie, Rue Saint-Nicolas 4, CH-2000 Neuchâtel
Hiroaki Takenouchi (piano) New Music Sunday Concert series at Kettle’s Yard ,2nd March 2014
Programme
Luigi Dallapiccola: Quaderno musicale di Annalibera (14’)
Jeremy Dale Roberts: Oggetti: omaggio a Morandi (20’)
John Hopkins: Disjunct Variations (12’)
Edwin Roxburgh: Studies (16’)
Niccolò Castiglioni: Come io passo l’estate (9’) More information
mu:arts will participate in WOMEX 2013, Cardiff. (23-27 October 2013)
Also we will support music from Okinawa ( stand No 173)
Shunsuke Kimura & Etsuro Ono encounter Van Gogh 15th September at
Festival Il de France
2nd Edition of Japan Music Fest at Parco della Musica, Rome 22nd, 23rd July 2013 feautring Shibusa Shirazu Orchestra, and Aki&Kuniko.
Shunsuke Kimura & Etsuro Ono Germany, Belgium, Holland and
festival mawazine, Morocco tour 8 ~ 28 May 2013
8th May Köln
10th May Detmold
11th May Brüssel
13th May Bergkamen
14th May Hamm & WDR radio recording
15th May Düsseldorf
16th May Wuppertal
18th May Leiden/ NL
19th May Nijmegen
21th May Hagen
22th May Herne
23th May Remscheid
24th May Gelsenkirchen
25th May Bonn
26th May Sankt AugustinIMAGE
In collaboration with alba kultur
28th May Festival Mawazine, Morocco Rabat -dedicated to Silk Road theme.
Mieko Miyazaki ( koto)concert with Orchestra of the Swan 31 May. More info
Alnwick Garden, Sakura Festival 13 April~ 27 April 2013
mu:arts co-programmes the 3 -weeks festival with Alnwick Garden.
Shunsuken Kimura & Etsuro Ono invited to perform at WOMADelaide 8~11 March and WOMAD New Zealand 15~17 March 2013.
8th Performance WOMADelaide & ABC Radio recording
9th Taste the World ( Kimura & Ono introduces recipe from Norh East Japan) WOMADelaide
10th Performance WOMADelaide
11th Workshop WOMADelaide
15th Workshop WOMAD NZ
16th Performance & Taste the World WOMAD NZ
Routan Nichi-nichi Shmbun, a local paper in Kyoto prefecture features about Big Dance project. (12 May)
29th August
London Bon Dancers workshop at Horniman Museum
7th August
London Bon Dancers invited to globalfest2012, one of the most exciting culnary events in London.
http://www.globalfeast2012.com/book-your-trip/
26th July
Bu U and London Bon Dancers perform for Japan Festival
Marewrew and Oki at WOMAD Charlton Park 2012
MAREWREW debut at WOMAD Charlton Park, 29 July 2012
and internationally renowned Tonkori player OKI will join Marewrew.
Japan Festival 2012 25 July, London (UK)
Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono summer 2012 tour schedule
5th & 6th July, Forde (Norway) Forde World Music Festival
8 July, Zurich (Switzerland) Museum Rietberg
11 July, Rome (Italy) Auditorium Parco della Musica
12 July, Hannover (Germany) Masala World Music Festival
13 July, Arles (France) Les Suds à Arles
Japanese Music Festival at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome 11th-12th July 2012
mu:arts joins production of the first Japanese music festival in Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, the most significant arts centre in Italy, designed by Renzo Piano.
Wednesday 11th July
Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono
Thursday 12th July
TsuguKaji KOTO
Japanese music festival at Museum Rietberg 7th – 8th July 2012
mu:arts curates a Japanese music festival in collaboration with Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland.
The Museum Rietberg Zurich is the only art museum for non-European art in Switzerland exhibiting an internationally renowned collection of art from Asia, Africa and Ancient America. The Museum Rietberg will host a Japan Festival on the 7th and 8th July 2012. The festival is linked to the special exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints from the collection of Honolulu Museum of Art, “The Beauty of the Moment” (7 July – 14 October 2012).
Saturday 7th July (Tanabata)
– Flying Zoo: Sizzle Ohtaka (vocal), Miwazo (chindon), Yoshiaki Sato (accordion), and Yuji Tsunemi (oud)
– Kumiko Suzuki Taiko group
Sunday 8th July
– Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono
– Sizzle Ohtaka
– Kumiko Suzuki Taiko group
– Grand Finale
Kumiko Suzuki ( taiko) Sat 23rd June at 3:30pm
Somerset house performance as part of Kokoro exhibition
Bon Dance Workshops & Performance June 2012
Bon Dance is a very popular community dance for everyone. It originated in Japan and has more than 400 years of history. As part of Big Dance 2012 , London Bon Dancers, a London-based Bon Dance group will offer workshops for older people in the Borough of Islington, London.
Dates: Fridays 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 June
Place: Peel Centre, Peel Circus, London WC1X 9EY
event details here
This project is generously supported by Big Dance Micro Grant and Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
mu:arts joins Big Dance 2012
Big Dance 2012 will be the UK’s biggest celebration of dance. Thousands of event will take place between 18th May to 15th July in all sorts of locations, in all sorts of dance styles!
Bu U [bu yu:] 舞遊 on Big Dance Bus
Sunday 27 May, White Lion Street, Islington
Big Dance is the UK’s biggest celebration of dance and dancing, and a highlight of London 2012 Festival, showcasing the diversity of dance styles and cultural attractions. It is featuring thousands of events, including workshops, performances, flashmobs, world record attempts and dancing in unusual spaces.
BuU is a new dance group formed with London based young talented Japanese dancers with Ayaka Furukawa, Yasuna Higuma, Ryota Kodera, Hiromi Satoh, and Yuki Kizawa.
They will present an exciting new choreography inspired by Hanagasa Ondo, a popular folk dance from Tohoku, Japan, spiced with contemporary dance twist.
Meet BuU on Big Dance Bus and enjoy the unmissable experience!
Date: Sunday 27th May 2012, 13:20
Place: White Lion Street, London N1 9PW. See google map.
Open to public
WOMEX 2011
Thursday, October 27
Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono showcase at WOMEX 2011 ( Copenhagen, Denmark)
Opera North Twilight Concert “Love in the time of Genji”
Howard Aseembly Room Sat 17 September at 5:45pm
‘Is my lord aware
Of an agitated heart
Unsteady as the rope
Slackened when our vessels halts
Charmed by the sound of a koto?’
(The Tale of Genji)
Musicians Melissa Holding and Clive Bell bring classical Japanese music to life in a free early evening concert using traditional Japanese instruments. A 13-stringed koto and a shakuhachi flute feature in music that evokes the long lost Heian-era of 11th century Japan.
This twilight concert includes short extracts from The Tale of Genji, a vividly written Japanese court epic by noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu, sometimes considered to be the world’s first novel. Written shortly after the year 1000, the book centres on the romantic adventures of its hero, Genji, the son of the Emperor and his favourite concubine, revealing the life of the Japanese court a thousand years ago.
Love in the Time of Genji is a free event programmed to accompany Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which opens on the Opera North mainstage later on the same evening.
With readings from The Tale of Genji by Yuka Oeda. Yuka is a Teaching Fellow in Japanese at the University of Leeds.
Opera North in Association with mu:arts
FMM Festival 2011
Thursday, July 28
Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono (Japan), 18:45, Castle
The Tsugaru-shamisen is a string instrument with a special place in the culture of Japan. Kimura and Ono play it with the imagination of jazz and the energy of rock.
FMM Sines – Festival Músicas do Mundo is a music festival held every July in Sines, Alentejo, Portugal.
Organised by the local City Council, it’s a public service, non-commercial, event designed for an audience of music discoverers, who come to Sines for the quality of the programme, the spectacular venues and a spirit regarded as unique among Portugal’s summer festivals.
It is the biggest world music event in the country.
http://fmm.com.pt/en/programme/
WOMAD 2011
Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono will perform at WOMAD ( Charlton-Park, Wiltshire) 30, 31 July
http://womad.org/festivals/charlton-park/lineup/
Folk Music Japan – A celebration for Tohoku Monday 1 August 2011, 7pm
Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS
Admission £5 (£2 of each ticket will go to a charity for Tohoku disaster relief)
The moving, masterful DUO (Shunsuke Kimura and Etsuro Ono), fresh from their performance at WOMAD, play Tsugaru shamisen and shinobue flute. Ono-san and his family live near Sendai in the heart of the disaster area.
DUO are preceded by a set of song and dance from Tohoku. The ensemble is led by Yoshihiro Endo (shakuhachi) and Yoshie Asano-Campbell (vocal & dance).
More info and booking https://store.soas.ac.uk/browse/product.asp?catid=77&modid=1&compid=1
Haiku Kamishibai Workshop (Illustrated Haiku Poetry) as part of Islington Exhibits Sat 16th July
Presented by Helen McCarthy and mu:arts.
http://www.islingtonexhibits.com/muarts
This workshop will approach traditional Japanese poetry in a new way – using the Japanese storytelling technique of kamishibai (paper theatre).Kamishibai means “Paper Theatre” and kamishibai performers use pictures to illustrate the stories they tell. In this workshop, we will use pictures to inspire and focus our ideas for making haiku, short poems of just three lines.Helen will share a selection of the haiku she has been writing for over 20 years, including those inspired by the natural landscape of her home in East London and by the recent natural disasters in Japan. Using these existing poems, she will demonstrate the technique of linking pictures together to inspire a poem. Anyone taking part can also make their own pictures to inspire or illustrate their own work.There are two ways to present haiku kamishibai – using the kamishibai purely as a basis for the poem, or presenting the poem through both images and words. By the end of the session, everyone taking part will be able to make and perform their own verbal or visual poetry. Helen McCarthy http://tinyurl.com/HMcCblog Follow tweetheart4711 on Twitter for haiku, Japan and random oddity mu:arts –music and arts from Japan.
Fantasie Orientale – Music from Britain and Japan: A cultural exchange Friday 8th July at 7pm
Come and join the evening of music inspired by cultural interactions between Britain and Japan. The “Japanese Village” in Knightsbridge was the first showcase of Japanese culture in London. In search of a juxtaposition of sound – what were the composers’ perception of the “other” culture?
Regent Hall 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ
Admission Free
With Children for Children
http://www.withchildrenforchildren.org.uk/
Spend a day watching performances, take part in workshops and learn all things Japanese to raise money for those affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.
All of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated through the Japan Society to help people in the affected areas recover from the devasting effects of the earthquake and tsunami.
Unicorn Theatre, London 11am-4pm Sun 19th June
Geoffrey Museum Open Evening: Japanese Home Cooking Demonstration, Workshop and Tasting as part of “At Home in Japan” – Wednesday 18 May
An evening inspired by our special exhibition will include a curator-led talk and a demonstration about Japanese food and customs. You will also have an opportunity to create your own bento box and make onigiri (rice balls). For more information, see our event page.
Play for Japan – Charity event at McQueen – Tuesday 26 April
8pm Naomi Suzuki Show
9:30 pm Kumiko Suzuki (Taiko Drum)
Hibiki – Resonances from Japan – 3-5 March 2011
“the week was truly outstanding and a highlight of our programming year”
Peter Millican, CEO Kings Place
Flyer
Kings Place welcomes acclaimed artists: Mayumi Miyata (sho), Michiyo Yagi (koto) and the Kimura & Ono DUO (tsugaru-shamisen, fue). Hear them play rare classical pieces and modern contemporary eastern and western music. This series of concerts promises to deliver unique boundary pushing experiences in reflecting Japan’s own rich musical heritage and fast-moving modern culture.
Come and hear the sound of instruments you don’t get a chance to hear in the West played by virtuosos. This unique programme features (amongst other things) first time collaborations between renowned artists from Japan, legendary British saxophonist Evan Parker, the London Sinfonietta and music by Nick Drake played on the koto and John Cage played on the shō.
Day one – 3 March
Our 1000-year journey begins on Thursday 3 March with Mayumi Miyata and Shō: Sound of Eternity. Presenting traditional Gagaku pieces and contemporary works for shō, one of the oldest instruments in the world. Miyata is one of the world’s most accomplished players, not only in traditional Japanese forms but in Western avant garde and popular music. The sound inspired western composers such as Stockhausen, Brian Eno, Björk and John Cage, withCage dedicating many pieces to Mayumi Miyata
Miyata presents an ancient traditional Gagaku piece as well as contemporary piece by Toru Takemitsu and by John Cage with London Sinfonietta. There will also be a pre-concert talk at 6pm with Mayumi Miyata.
Day two – 4 March
Tsugaru-Shamisen bring the Sheer Wind from The Northwith the Kimura & Ono DUO
The dynamically powerful, yet soulful and sensitive sound of the tsugaru-shamisen has the ability to fascinate people from around the world. Kimura Shunsuke & Etsuro Ono are both powerful innovators and virtuosos of the three string lute,tsugaru-shamisen. Requiring a highly accomplished technique for speedy playing, a refined sense of dynamic rhythm and creativity for improvisation, like jazz music.
The duo travelled to every corner of Japan assimilating the various melodies, rhythms and styles of folk and traditional festival music. They have taken their dynamic semi-improvised style from Tsugaru region in new contemporary directions, presenting both traditional pieces and new materials fusing original folk sound with the soul and blues rhythms of the West. Pre-Concert Talk: 6pm by Shunsuke Kimura at St Pancras Room.
Day three – 5 March
A rare opportunity to see a complete concert with Michiyo Yagi and legendary improvisor Evan Parker.Having collaborated with John Zorn, Jim O’Rourke, Mark Dresser and Keiji Haino, Yagi is one of the most adventurous and eclectic koto performers who continuously challenges conventions. This program will reveal how Yagi’s exploratory nature is a natural extension of the more avant garde elements found in traditional koto music.
Music in Manga sees eminent comic historian Paul Gravett examining the influence that traditional Japanese music has had over popular culture.
Meanwhile the London-based fusion group i.Ro.Ha, named after the Japanese alphabet give us with their own modern take on Japanese musical folklore.
Creative Music Workshops – Open to all
Hibiki – The secret sounds of Gillespie Park – starting Saturday 26th February from 12pm-4pm
The music festival at Kings Place 3-5 March, HIBIKI – Resonances from Japan, is coming to Gillespie Park in North London for a full week of creative music workshops and an opportunity to create a new piece for the last day of the Festival at Kings Place, King’s Cross, on Saturday 5th March.
Kumiko Shuto (Satsuma Biwa) Europe Tour 3-6 February 2011
4 Feb Zuiderpershuis, Antwerp, Belgian
5 Feb Tropentheater, Amsterdam, Holland
6 Feb Rasa Utrecht, Holland
Rasa website
July 2010
WOMAD Charlton Park
London Bon Dancers and London Bon Musician
http://womad.org/artists/london-bon-dancers
July 2010
Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo Malaysia
Kimura & Ono DUO
March 2010
Nihon Buyo ( Japanese Classical Dance) Lecure & Demonstration by Senzo Nishikawa X, Living National Treasure
Kings Palce, London / Kaetsu Centre, Cambridge
View the Flyer
September –October 2009
Tsuruga Wakasanojo“Living National Treasutre”, Shinnai Joruri
performances and workshops in 4 countries, 10 cities have completed with a great success.
25 September, at Chester Beatty Library (Dublin), as part of their “Cultural Night”, Tsuruga Wakasanojo was headlined on RTE prime time news!
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0925/6news_av.html?2617105,null,230
19 September London Bon Dancers at Spitalfiled “Matsuri” Festival
London Bon Dancers performed and gave workshops leading to big carnival procession at Spital Field Matsuri Festival.
23 September Taro Hakase “SOLD OUT” Recital at Cadogan Hall
June 2009 Takeichiro HIRAI (Violin), Motoki Hirai (piano) EU tour
8 June Wigmore Hall (London, UK)
Wigmore Hall concert was supported by The Japanese Embassy in UK, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Exlayer, ANA, Mitsui Corp, and Mikimoto.
Official UK-Japan 150 event
11 June Japanese Embassy in Denmark (Copenhagen, Denmark)
14 June Pau (Pablo) Casals Auditorium / Pau Casals Museum (Catalonia, Spain）
16 June Casa Armatei Hall (Gun Kai Kan) Romania (as part of Japan- Danube Year )
20 June la Maison de la culture du Japon (as part of “National Music Day”)
This tour was supported by Japan Foundation
31 May 2009
Japanese Garden Party at Hammersmith Park
Mu:arts featured London Bon Dancers, Domon Hideaki (guitar) +Saru (vocal), and Kamishibai performance by Derek Carpenter.
April 2009
Buddhist Monk Chant (Shomyo) Shichiseikai EU Tour
– Official Japan-Danube Year project
2 April Zuiderpershuis, Antwerp, Belgian
3 April Tropentheater, Amsterdam, Holland
4 April Rasa Utrecht, Holland
5 April Osterfestival Tirol, Austria
8 April Imago Dei Festival, Austria
This tour was supported by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan
“Composition 8”. Images kindly reproduced with permission of British painter, Pip Dickens.