It was wonderful to rehearse with a renowned clarinetist Wang Tao in Beijing. I am honored to join his new album, and I’m looking forward to the recording later this month.
I am very grateful for being able to visit the forbidden city during this trip. (Thank you, producer Dave Tam!!!) Seeing their magnificent buildings was an experience that I will never forget!
樅楓舎 – Sho-fu-sha – concert series vol3
I am honored to perform with cellist Nathaniel Rosen, violinist Pierre Amoyal, and violist Yuko Shimizu. You are cordially invited to join us on May 16th, Hakuju hall in Tokyo!
Last concert of the year! Violinist Rika Masato and I played at a noontime concert at Iino Building. Lovely short pieces by Kreisler, sonata by Debussy, and Carmen Fantsy by Sarasate – good program to end year 2016. We loved the cheering in between the movements in Carmen!
Thank you for coming to hear us at the Living Room Cafe！
It’s always a treat to work with violinist Mai Suzuki! We had fun performing our favorite short pieces this week. Yesterday, we escaped the heat in the Kawaguchi-Ko Music Forest in Yamanashi. Their summer roses and old music boxes are from all over the world. It felt like we were performing in a fairytale land.
ザルツブルグから帰国中のヴァイオリニスト、鈴木舞さんと河口湖オルゴールの森美術館へ行ってきました。世界に数台しかなく、製作に250年かかったというオルゴールが置かれたメインホールと、部屋全体がオルガンになっているダンスホールで、沢山のお客様に聴いていただきました。オルゴールの綺麗な装飾や色とりどりの夏バラに囲まれて、舞さんの美しいヴァイオリンにうっとりしました。
I had the honor of performing at the 6th Enraku Sanyutei’s Rakugo recital in Ginza Jujiya. Rakugo is a Japanese traditional form of comic storytelling. Using only a paper fan (扇子 sensu) and a small cloth (手拭 tenugui) as props, Rakugo’s minimalistic style is one of the coolest arts we have in Japan. The master Enraku took us through a mesmerizing hour of storytelling. His storytelling was so good that I forgot I needed to perform next! I was completely drawn in by the funny but very human tale of a pickpocket in Edo. Famous for his sarcasm, of course he said “this big instrument takes up so much space on the stage! ”
昨日は銀座十字屋さんの「午後のサロン」で円楽師匠の後に演奏させて頂きました。銀座にちなんだお話からいつのまにかじーんとくる人情噺になり、本当に時を忘れるくらい師匠の話芸に引き込まれました。「寄席のように居心地が良い十字屋さんのホールですね、このピアノさえなければ…」いじって頂きました！ありがとうございます。
After an intense but wonderful week in Ecuador, I flew to Japan, and visited Wakayama and Tokyo. I had a great time performing solo recitals to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Hashimoto International Friendship Foundation and the Hashimoto branch of UNESCO, and the 140th Anniversary of Ginza Jujiya.
I was honored to have Mr. Mikio Ozawa, the younger brother of Maestro Seiji Ozawa, as a special guest at the concert in Tokyo’s Ginza Jujiya Hall. Mr. Mikio Ozawa’s warm presence on stage immediately brought the audience closer to us. We enjoyed his interesting and fun anecdotes in between pieces. Ginza Jujiya is one of the first music shops to begin importing Western Instruments into Japan during the Meiji era.
Hashimoto city is located at the base of Mount Koya, which is the home of the most sacred site in Shingon Buddhism. I was enchanted by the serene beauty of “Ko-Yo” (color of changing leaves) in Wakayama, particularly after experiencing the dramatic South American landscape.
I also participated in a CHANEL Pygmalion Days chamber music concert led by Maestro Heiichiro Ohyama. It has been a very exciting month for me!
I was in Ecuador earlier this month with cellist Christine Walevska.
Ecuador is one of the few countries where Christine has not
concertized yet among all South American countries – the other being
Bolivia. For me, it was the first time to be in South America.
Christine and I performed a concert for the benefit of the country’s
sick and poor children. The concert was held at the oldest colonial
church in the South America, and at the Museo Guayasamin.
Surrounded by the Andes mountains, Quito is 9,000 feet above sea level.
The dynamic cloud that touches the mountains, the thunder storm every
afternoon around 3PM, the crazy traffic of the narrow street in the
old town, colorfully dressed Indian woman selling goods on the street,
exotic fruits and birds in the Rainforest—everything I saw was new
to me and made a big impact.
I had a wonderful week spending the last bit of summer in Taiwan with cellist Christine Walevska. It was our second tour in Taiwan. We performed at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Kaoshiung Music Hall, and also the Tainan University of Technology.
Taiwan is such a beautiful country. Meeting wonderful people, seeing their culture left me in awe with many beautiful memories.
