by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Japanese Arts, News
Japanese people who were born and raised in outlying areas of Japan outside of the major metropolitan areas typically have a particular song that is familiar to everyone from that area, and on hearing it usually gives rise to nostalgic feelings for their hometown....
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | News, Outreach
A salon is a comfortable, intimate space perfect for small concerts and talks, or for the reception of important guests. Indeed, concerts of exquisite chamber music were often held in salons, and hence the genre of European salon music was born. The Min-On Culture...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Japanese Arts, News
The koto is considered a national musical instrument of Japan. It has 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the wooden body, which is some six feet long. Its origins can be traced back to the Chinese zheng, which was first introduced to...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Jazz & Popular, News, United States of AmericaRA
Jacob Koller performing on stage Listening to the soundtrack album of a memorable movie enables those who saw the movie to recall and implicitly re-experience scenes from the film. As Time Goes By from the romantic scene in the movie Casablanca released in 1942, and...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | ChinaRA, Cultural Exchange, News
Jiang Xiaoqing “Even in the deepest quiet of a snowy day, there was a resonance within the stillness. I was staring at the falling snow from a window and spontaneously composed this piece for my guzheng.” With these words, Jiang Xiaoqing, an...
by Peter | Feb 28, 2014 | Jazz & Popular, KoreaRA, News, TaiwanRA
Cheuni (left) and Ouyand Feifei (right) The legendary diva of Asia, Ouyand Feifei, began her career in Taipei in 1967; she came to Japan in 1971 and in the same year scored a number one hit with her debut single entitled Ame no Midousuji (Rainy Avenue of Midosuji),...