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The 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival

  • Organization : The organizing committee for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival
  • Section : Artistic and creative activity in Tokyo
  • Type of Grant Program : Single
  • Art Forms : Japanese Traditional Art

Outline

To mark the 30th anniversary of the development and creation of the 25-string koto by Soju Nosaka II, the festival “Listen/Learn/See: Everything there is to know about the 25-string koto” was held under the three-pronged concept of listening (in a concert), learning (in a workshop), and seeing (in an exhibition). The concert for the “Listen” component was performed by 29 musicians from 16 25-string koto groups, brought together through an open call. Composer Akira Inoue was commissioned to create a new piece for the festival. There was also a pre-concert talk entitled “Untold stories on the making of musical instruments.” The “Learn” workshop offered three courses: elementary level for people new to the 25-string koto, intermediate level for those who have experience playing but who seek more in-depth expression, and advanced level in which participants learn a composition commissioned by Soju Nosaka from the composer himself. The festival’s “See” exhibition, which was free to enter, attracted many people. In addition to following the passage of the last 30 years, the exhibition also featured a display of Soju Nosaka’s favorite instruments and sheet music, as well as notes, photographs etc. from the time up until the creation of the 25-string koto. The exhibition was complemented by the sale of sheet music and CDs related to the 25-string koto, as well as the sale of koto plectrums by a Japanese musical instrument specialty store.

Profile

The organizing committee for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival
The 25-string koto was developed and created by Soju Nosaka II. The year 2021 marks 30 years since the instrument was first made, and to commemorate this the committee is holding a two-day festival celebrating 25-string koto music. In order to bring about the event, Soju Nosaka’s daughter Eri Nosaka came up with the idea of an organizing committee, which was then formed and managed as The organizing committee for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival together with 11 like-minded koto disciples (25-string koto players and immediate disciples of Nosaka).

Contact

The organizing committee for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival
koto.25gen.30th@gmail.com

Venues

Toyosu Civic Center Hall, Koto City, Tokyo