Live Music / Concerts

Concert to Mark Taiko Dojo's 40th Year

rie — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:08:44 -0800

BERKELEY — The thundering power of taiko drums is back in the East Bay.
On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22-23, Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo will unleash a spectacular program in honor of the group’s 40th anniversary.

The powerful rhythms of the International Taiko Festival 2008 will reverberate throughout Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. Widely considered to be one of the world’s foremost taiko festivals it is the premier showcase for taiko musicians and special guest artists from the greater Bay Area and Japan.

Keeping a Japanese Art Form Alive in America

james — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:27:00 -0800

They are joined by their love of traditional Japanese classical dance and their commitment to keeping that art form alive in the United States.

They are teacher and pupil.

Dorothy Sachiko Yamamoto, known professionally as Madame Bando Mitsusa, has studied and taught koten buyo (Japanese classical dance) in the U.S. for 82 years. During World War II, at one point she had 140 students at the Tule Lake internment camp, where she would lead them in performances almost every weekend.

Japanese Festival at UOP

james — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:05:41 -0800

STOCKTON — Following last year’s successful Japanese Festival, the University of the Pacific has announced that it is hosting another one.

This year’s festival consists of two events, both scheduled for Satuday, Nov. 15, at Faye Spanos Concert Hall on campus:

• 3:30 p.m. — Four traditional Japanese dance troupes, the Nishikawa School, the Hanayagi School, Minyo Tanoshimi Kai, and Ryukyu Buyou (Okinawan dance with drummers and sangen players).

Gen Taiko's 13th Anniversary Concert

james — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:03:42 -0800

Gen Taiko’s 13th anniversary concert, “Yata no Kagami: The Sacred Mirror,” will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St. (between Webster and Buchanan) in San Francisco Japantown.

Yata no Kagami is one of the three sacred imperial treasures of Japan along with Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, the sacred sword, and Yasakani no Magatama, the sacred jewel. According to Shinto thought, the mirror reflecting everything properly is a symbol for honesty, the sword for bravery, and the jewel for affection.

Daniel Ho in Concert

rie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:24:51 -0700

PALO ALTO — Three-time Grammy-winning slack key guitar and ukulele player Daniel Ho, the headliner at San Jose’s Spirit of Japantown Festival earlier this month, will return to the Bay Area for two appearances at Stanford University.

Ho will sit in as the guest of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble during its Halloween concert — “Stanford’s spookiest and wackiest evening of music” — on Friday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. at Dinkelspiel Auditorium. He will preview his solo concert the following evening.

Admission: $10 general, $5 for students.

El Camino Youth Symphony's Season Opener

james — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:44:44 -0700

CUPERTINO — The award-winning El Camino Youth Symphony, under the baton of Dr. Camilla Kolchinsky, returns to Flint Center at De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., to premiere its 46th season with the “Season Opener” Concert on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.

The program features Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3; Prokofiev’s Concertino for Cello, Julia Shim, soloist; Dvorak’s Violin Concerto in A Major, Mvt I, Yujin Ariza, soloist; and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.

Classical Flutist to Perform at CSMA

rie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:22:26 -0700

MOUNTAIN VIEW — The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center in Mountain View will present a classical flute concert with Yoko Owada on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.

This special cultural event, offered free of charge in CSMA’s Tateuchi Hall, is part of the school’s commitment to provide the community with high-quality, cross-cultural programs and events. Event supporters include the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, the Japan Foundation, and the Japan Society of Northern California.

Mezzo-Soprano to Perform Japanese, Western Works

rie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:47:49 -0700

SACRAMENTO — “Japan Meets the West,” a free concert featuring mezzo-soprano Yukako Tatsumi-Margaritoff and Dr. John Cozza on piano, will be held on Monday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cosumnes River College Recital Hall, 8401 Center Parkway in Sacramento.

Tatsumi-Margaritoff will sing Japanese songs and European songs in six languages. Her repertoire includes Western composers Schubert, Brahms, Offenbach, Bizet, Rossini, Barber, Tchaikovsky and Hajiev as well as Japanese composers Hirai, Yamada, Okano, Bekku, Takagi, Dan, Tanimura and Nakada.

Dynamic Duo From Hawaii at Yoshi's

rie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:23:37 -0700

Keoki Kahumoku and Herb Ohta Jr. will perform contemporary Hawaiian music with a touch of blues on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s Jazz Club, 1330 Fillmore St. at Eddy in San Francisco’s Fillmore Heritage Center.

Two of Hawaii’s favorite sons, Kahumoku and Ohta are carrying on their musical legacies of their fathers, slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr. and ukulele master Herb “Ohta-san” Ohta. The next-generation musicians honor their heritage, yet add their own flair to each performance.

Tokyo String Quartet Returning to S.F.

rie — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:45:46 -0700

The Tokyo String Quartet, One of the world’s premier chamber ensembles, returns to San Francisco Performances for a recital with clarinetist Sabine Meyer on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. at the Herbst Theatre, located inside the War Memorial Veterans Building, at 401 Van Ness Ave. at McAllister Street.

The quartet will perform Beethoven’s String Quartet in G Major, Opus 18, No. 2, Bartók’s String Quartet No. 5, and, on the second half of the program, Brahms’ Quintet in B minor for Clarinet and Strings, Opus 115 with Meyer.