Aki no Koe – “Voices of Autumn” – Koto and Shakuhachi Concert (matinee)
October 31 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
$38 Non-Member / $30 Member
Capacity 45
The 13-string koto and bamboo shakuhachi flute have shaped Japanese musical tradition for centuries, becoming signature sounds of Japan. For our opening concert, please join us in the gardens for an evening of Traditional Japanese Music featuring distinguished koto artist Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto and local shakuhachi player Paul Amiel, performing classical repertoire in an intimate program of sound and stillness.
performer
Paul Amiel
Paul Amiel is involved in a variety of world music, playing gothic harp, Chinese guqin, Turkish ney, Ancient Greek Lyre, among others, and regularly performs with his Balkan duo Kyklo. He studied Kinko Ryu shakuhachi with Iida Katsutoshi in Nagoya, Japan, and founded the Empty Bamboo Shakuhachi Circle in Tucson in 2014.
performer
Shirley Kazuyo
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto, is a teacher and performer on the Japanese koto. Shirley received her Shihan with honors and DaiShihan master koto credentials from the Chikushi Kai in Fukuoka, Japan. She has expanded the repertoire of traditional koto music through her jazz fusion group, the Murasaki Ensemble, and in collaborations, arranging and composing music for the koto in various styles and genres. Shirley has performed across the U.S., Canada and Japan, collaborated with many artists and performed with amazing musicians, as well as performed for celebrity notables for over 60 years. For many decades Shirley researched Japanese traditional performance arts in the World War II concentration camps. In 2012, her project was awarded a National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites grant to turn her decades-long research into a documentary film. Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performance Arts in the World War II Internment Camps premiered in 2014 and aired on public TV and PBS stations across the U.S. and universities here, in Japan and Europe. Recently it has received notice for use by the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings for K-12 classes. Shirley has performed and taught for 60+ years. In 2012, she was nominated to the Bunka Hall of Fame administered by the Hokka Nichibei Kai to honor those who have excelled and contributed to the culture of Japan and bettered relationships in our community, and a Taproot Fellowship from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in 2024, numerous recognitions. Since the documentary came out Shirley continues to research and educate others in public schools, universities and community groups about this important and neglected history.
*No refunds will be issued for special events
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