“Gen” musubi, ―Music and Literature―, is a project aimed at discovering a new type of music that explores the relationship between words and music. The project will showcase a program of ongoing concerts with compositions that use a combination of words and instrumental accompaniment.

At the heart of the project for 2016 are the comedies of William Shakespeare. The musical works, together with the enjoyment you get from reading Shakespeare`s stories, and the historical, poetic language he uses, have the richness and depth of a Johann Sebastian Bach piece. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare`s death, you can dive right into the ocean of Shakespeare`s plays and explore, through the stories and musical compositions, the relationship between words and music as you get tossed about on its seas. Experience the comedy, drama, and beautiful imagery painted by the sounds of the music and the eloquent poetic words of Shakespeare. By reconstructing and disseminating Shakespeare`s plays from a musical perspective, we want to ask the questions: What is language? What is music?

The project is divided into two periods: Vol. 1, which is centered around a new composition written by Yu Kuwabara (based on Shakespeare`s “The Comedy of Errors”), and Vol. 2, comprised of a new work by composer Kazuyuki Taguchi (based on “Twelfth Night”)