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Peterson Concert: Traditional Japanese Music in the Modern Age

May is AAPI Month and what better way to celebrate than with music. Join classically-trained musician Masayo Ishigure and her ensemble of world-class musicians, the Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble to celebrate Japanese culture with this unique musical experience: Traditional Japanese Music in the Modern Age. This performance features a wide range of musical pieces, from classical to contemporary music, as Ms. Masayo and her ensemble perform and explain the history of Japanese musical instruments and their meaning. The classical Japanese instruments of koto, bass koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi will be featured, among others.

An instrument petting zoo with a selection of the musical instruments will follow the concert.

Concert starts at 3:00 PM and the doors open at 2:30 PM. Register to reserve a seat.

To get early access to the Library's concerts, sign up for the Library's Music email newsletters.

Questions? Contact Dora Salm, Peterson Music Librarian: dsalm@greenwichlibrary.org or (203) 622-7910.

Date:
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Time:
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Location:
Berkley Theater
Audience:
  Everyone  
Categories:
  Music and Concerts  

Registration is required. There are no seats available but a waiting list is available.

Masayo Ishigure became one of a small group of virtuoso disciples of both Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai and successfully completed the 33rd Ikusei-kai program sponsored by NHK to foster and train aspiring artists in Japanese music. In 1988, Ms.Ishigure received a degree in Japanese Traditional Music from Takasaki Junior Arts College with a concentration on koto and shamisen.

Ms. Isigure has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, BAM, Merkin Hall, Asia Society, Japan Society, Metropolitan Museum, and other venues in the New York City metropolitan area. She has been invited to perform at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the Smithsonian Institute, and was a guest artist with the Seattle Symphony, Hartford Symphony, San Diego Symphony, New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Ishigure has appeared in concerts for the World Music Institute, Japan Society, Music from Japan, the China Institute and has participated in music festivals in Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Holland, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Belarus, Jamaica, Hawaii and Alaska. She has also accompanied several performances by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Peter Boal. She has been featured in multiple television broadcasts, some of which included music for CBS Master Works used during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. She has also recorded koto music for use in several television commercials. Among her many other accomplishments:

  • In 2005, Ms. Ishigure was a recording artist alongside Yitzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and others on the Grammy Award-Winning soundtrack from the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” (SAYURI) by John Williams.
  • In 2007, she was nominated as “100 Japanese People the World Respects” by Newsweek.
  • In 2016, she was awarded and received the 2016 Consul General’s Commendation and was nominated as one of the “Top 5 Japanese Women Promoting Japanese Culture in New York” by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble is a New York-based group founded and headed by Ms. Ishigure. The ensemble consists of members of the Sawai Koto Academy, one of the most prominent schools for contemporary Koto and Shamisen music. The aim of the academy is to incorporate many influences, from classical to jazz and thus change the perception of the koto solely as a traditional Japanese instrument into an instrument of universal expressiveness. Since its foundation in 1996, MIYABI’s repertoire has ranged from classical to contemporary koto and shamisen music. The ensemble especially dedicates themselves to playing Tadao Sawai’s compositions. They have played many concerts in the New York Metropolitan area, the eastern United States, Hawaii, and South America. In addition, they have been introducing Japanese culture through workshops and school performances. 

The Peterson Concert Series is open to the public at no charge through the generous support of the Peterson Foundation.