Sunday, November 3, 2013 2:00 p.m
James Armstrong Theatre
3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503
Awaya-kai (Yoko Awaya Koto Music Conservatory) presents a special concert, featuring such Japanese traditional instruments as koto, shakuhachi, sanshin and taiko drums.
The concert, hosted by Byron Fiji, an Okitawan language advocate, features special guest artist Kaoru Kakizakai (shakuhachi) from Japan, along with local guests, including Bill Schultz (shakuhashi), Ryukyu Matsuri Daiko (taiko drums), David Cowan (percussion) and Yoko Awaya (koto), Founder of Awaya-kai.
The event is supported by Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California, Japanese Prefectural Association of Southern California, and Okinawa Association of America, Inc., among others.
ADMISSION: $25
$30 at the door, $20 for students under 18
Download Flyer
PROGRAM
“Concerto of Celebration” for 7 kotos
“The Distance Cry of Dee” for shakuhachi
Vivaldi’s “Violin Concerto” arranged for kotos
“Aways with me” (theme song from movie “Spirited Away”) and more.
ARTISTS
Yoko Awaya (koto)
Kaoru Kakizakai (shakuhachi)
Byron Fiji (sanshin, vocal)
Bill Schultz (shakuhashi)
Ryukyu Matsuri Daiko (taiko drums)
David Cowan (percussion)
TICKET INFO: www.awayakai.com
Margarita Lee at (310) 376-0097 or
Hiromi Komiyama at hiromiko@cox.net
About organization and guest artists:
About Awaya-kai/ Yoko Awaya (koto)
Awaya-kai, a non-profit organization founded in 1975 in Los Angeles, is dedicated to raise awareness of koto and sangen music and foster cultural appreciation not only in the Southern California but throughout the U.S. Koto is a traditional Japanese harp with either 13 or 17 strings. Sangen is a three-stringed banjo-like instrument. Currently, over 40 members study the koto and jiuta sangen under the direction of Ms. Awaya.
Yoko Awaya, performing artist and teacher, studied the koto and jiuta sangen in Tokyo at the renowned Michio Miyagi School of Koto, where she received a Master’s degree. She has performed in major venues throughout the U.S., including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Los Angeles), Macky Auditorium (Colorado), Jacob’s Pillow (Massachusetts), San Francisco Conservatory, Lafayette College and University of Southern California. She has received awards and recognitions from the California State Assembly (1999) and City of Torrance (2004) for her outstanding contributions to the Japanese American community.
Kaoru Kakizakai (shakuhachi)
Kaoru Kakizakai’s professional career as a shakuhachi artist has spanned over 25 years and four continents. He has performed in St. Petersburg, Sydney, Paris, New York, Hanoi and Salzburg, among others. He has regularly performed famous “November Steps” and “Eclipse” composed by Toru Takemitsu, with the NHK Symphony Orchestra. He received the First Prize in the Nagatani Kengyo Memorial National Japanese Music Competition in 1997. He has released two solo CDs titled “Koten Sakuhachi” and “Koten Shakuhashi 2.”
Byron Fija (Master of Ceremonies, sanshin and vocal)
Byron Fija is a performer, writer and instructor of the tongue of Okinawa, called “uchinaaguchi,” as well as a sanshin musician. He is well-known in Okinawa for hosting the popular radio program “Minyou no Hanataba” and writing columns about uchinaaguchi in the Okinawa Times and Ryukyu Shimpo. Byron began to learn the sanshin and uchinaaguchi formally at the age of 24, under the tutelage of famous Okinawan actor Kouchu Makishi.
