Duo YUMENO, my duo with koto/shamisen performer Yoko Reikano Kimura, had a fruitful week-long residency at the University of Hawaii between April 3 and 10. Of course, being in Hawaii, both the weather and the natural surroundings were beautiful, but the warmth and the kindness of the people really touched us throughout the trip.

Photo by Thomas Osborne

The residency included two recitals. The first included works by the faculty members of U of H – Donald Womack‘s A Glinting Edge of Sky, Thomas Osborne‘s Circles of Light (with Christopher Yohmei Blasdel on shakuhachi) and Takuma Itoh‘s But Beautiful (newly commissioned work by the duo). We also included two solo pieces – Kin’ichi Nakanoshima’s Mittsu no Dansho for koto and Sayaka Ishiguro’s Genka Triptych for cello. Naturally, each ensemble pieces had distinct flavors, but they all had similar traits as well. We were moved by their delicate colors and moods that perfectly balance the characteristics of the cello and the koto.

For the second recital, we performed five world premier duos for koto and cello by five composer students of U of H. The program included; James Finamore’s Byodo-In, Thomas Goedecke‘s Turtle and Crane, Tyler Ono’s The Heart’s Uncertainty, Lim Jae-Hyun’s Buzzy, Busy…, Switchy! and Andrew Filson‘s From the Mist, I Emerge. We were very honored to have talented composers write such adventurous and heartfelt pieces for us. It was the first time for all composers to write music for a non-Western instrument, and their dedication was apparent through their music.

Photo by Thomas Osborne

Between the two recitals, we had a chance to work with the student composers and exchanged ideas. It was a great learning experience for us because we had to examine fundamental questions about our music making. How can we use our instruments to effectively convey our thoughts and emotions through music? What approach should Western classical composer take when composing for traditional Japanese instruments such as the koto? In any case, we sincerely hope that this is just the beginning for these young composers to write music for groups like us and looking forward to hearing more new works from them.

(L to R) Thomas Osborne, Donald Womack, Thomas Goedecke, Andrew Filson, me, Yoko Reikano Kimura, James Finamore, Lim Jae-Hyun, Takuma Itoh

Yoko and I would like to thank Donald Womack, Thomas Osborne and Takuma Itoh for inviting us to Hawaii and giving us the pleasure to have this invaluable experience. We will surely treasure this memory for many years to come.

Photo by Shoji Kawabata

On April 1, Duo YUMENO performed at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. This performance at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage was a milestone for us because in 2008, we first performed together at Fort Wayne’s Cherry Blossom Festival.

As Japanese musicians, cherry blossoms continue to hold a special place in our hearts, and it was magnificent to see so many cherry trees at the Tidal Basin as symbols of friendship between Japan and the US.

This concert featured the world premier of Daron Hagen’s “Misterioso,” which is based on The Tale of Heike, as well as two songs related to the flower: Yamada Kengyo’s “Cherry Blossom Viewing” and “Sakura Sakura.” We were moved to have a full-house audience, but it gave us an incredible feeling when we had the whole audience sing “Sakura Sakura” both in Japanese and English.

It was also an honor to have Ms. Alicia Adams, Kennedy Center’s VP of International Programming and Minister Tamaki Tsukada at Embassy of Japan, who is also the director of Japan Information and Culture Center, to give short remarks prior to our performance. We are also grateful to the staff members at Embassy of Japan and Kennedy Center who worked tirelessly to make this event successful.

Also, I would like to thank Ayumi Ishiyama for making this gorgeous jacket for me!