Craft-in-Concert: Traditional Japanese Music – Shamisen and Shakuhachi – Pittsburgh, PA

In conjunction with the exhibition 芸［Gei]: The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal held at Contemporary Craft, we present you with a performance that will introduce you to the elegance of traditional Japanese music. This one-hour Craft-in-Concert program will star Kanoko Kamata on the 三味線 [shamisen], and Devon Osamu-Tipp on the 尺八[shakuhachi]. Between pieces of music, Kanoko and Devon will talk about the instruments they play, give an overview of the history of Japanese traditional music, and provide context to the musical works. Join us for a night of musical enchantment!

Admission is free, please consider donating to support the sustainability of our public programs.

About the Musicians

鎌田華乃子 Kanoko Kamata

Kanoko has been interested in social and environmental issues since childhood, but after 11 years of working for a company, she realized the importance of civil society to improve people’s lives, and studied abroad at the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Administration, completing the Master of Public Administration program. In January 2014, she and her friends established the nonprofit organization Community Organizing Japan (COJ), and are working to spread the practice of community organizing throughout the country through workshops and coaching. She is also involved in gender and sexual violence prevention movements. She is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. Her late grandmother was a singer and Shamisen player of 民謡 (Japanese folk songs). Kanoko’s shamisen practice encompasses both the Ikuta ryu (Kyoto style) and Yamada ryu (Tokyo/Edo style) traditions of music.

Devon Osamu-Tipp

Devon (they/them) draws influence from their Japanese roots, experiences as a jeweler and painter, improvisations with plants, and studies of gagaku and hogaku. Their music focuses on rhythmic and timbral transmutation of cyclical materials as a way of reflecting on their past. Their compositions have been performed in the US, Europe, Australia, China, and Japan. They have presented their research on global art music at conferences and universities in the US, Europe, and Japan. Their research on contemporary Japanese music has been published in the Czech peer reviewed journal Ziva Hubda, and their flute works are published by Tetractys publishing in the UK.

Set List

Kumoi Jishi (Lion’s Dance) —- Kinko-ryu honkyoku

Hototogisu (The Cuckoo) —- Yamada Kengyō

Yachiojishi (Lion Dance of Eternity) —- Fujinaga Kengyō/Masajima Kengyō

Sōran Bushi – Min’yō

Banner image credit: vessel by Yoko-Sekino Bove, arrangement by Reiko Nakashima (Photograph taken by Reagan West-Whitman)