Saturday, March 9 – 7pm: Japanese Contemporary Music: Past and Present
Sunday, March 10 – 5pm: Current Sounds Japan IV
For its Festival 2024 New York, the 49th Season, and Ninth Artist Residency, Music From Japan (MFJ) was delighted to present two concerts at Scandinavia House’s Volvo Hall in Manhattan – one curated by Koichi Nishi and another showcasing the work of three commissioned composers. On Saturday, March 9, “Japanese Contemporary Music: Past and Present” featured six pieces representing over a century of Japanese music, preceded by a lecture titled “Japanese Contemporary Music: Its History and Current State” from Mr. Nishi (a prominent music writer and concert producer). On Sunday, March 10, “Current Sounds Japan IV” introduced Chiharu Wakabayashi, Mayuko Kawasaki and Koji Fukumaru, three dynamic Japanese composers working today. Each of these artists contributed two pieces – one from their body of work and the other newly commissioned by MFJ for this occasion. As usual, MFJ’s concert programs were supplemented by educational lectures and forums with the featured composers and curators, alongside New York-based composers, scholars, critics and musicians. A more detailed description of the events will be published here soon.
