Mayumi Miyata (sho), Wu Man (pipa), and Jin Hi Kim (komungo)
To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Music From Japan (MFJ) will present East Asian Vibrancy and Highlights of MFJ Commissions in the US and Japan. The program for the first concert will include a commissioned new work for Mayumi Miyata (Japanese sho), Wu Man (Chinese pipa), and Jin Hi Kim (Korean komungo) by American composer Ned Rothenberg. Traditional work for each instrument will also be presented in order to trace the shared musical history of these three neighboring countries.
The second concert will feature commissioned new works by Michio Kitazume and Yoichi Sugiyama performed by musicians who excel in contemporary music. These events will be brought to Tokyo for the first time by MFJ to introduce Tokyoites to MFJ’s 40 years of accomplishment. The musicians who will perform in Tokyo include: Aki Takahashi (piano), Yasunori Yamaguchi (percussion), Mutsumi Hatano (mezzo soprano), Yasuaki Itakura (clarinet), Norio Sato (guitar), Takeshi Sasamoto (haisho), and Reigakusha Gagaku Ensemble.
【The Support Committee for Music From Japan】
The Support Committee for Music From Japan was organized as a voluntary association in November, 2005 to advance the work of Music From Japan (MFJ) which was established in 1975 in New York City. MFJ has introduced the great diversity of Japanese music to the US and the world. Past programming has included gagaku, hogaku, music of Ainu and Okinawa, and works by contemporary Japanese composers. MFJ has been a vital force in producing unique international collaborative projects, often inviting American musicians to premiere works by Japanese composers.
Naoyuki Miura, Representative
Asia Society (New York City)
Freer Gallery of Art、Smithsonian (Washington, DC)
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Small Hall（Taito City, Tokyo）
