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),...
by Peter | Dec 22, 2013 | Cultural Exchange, Jazz & Popular, News, SwedenRA
A cappella—a colorful array of wonderful voices in harmony A cappella is the Italian term historically referred to music performed “in the style of the chapel”—vocal music without instrumental accompaniment—typically performed as part of religious...
by Peter | Dec 22, 2013 | ChinaRA, Cultural Exchange, News, Overseas Dispatch Series
Traditional Japanese dance arranged in modern style Based on the Founder’s belief that a genuine bridge of culture connecting people to people cannot be broken, the Min-On Concert Association has invited more than 40 cultural groups and artists from neighboring...