A New York Summit: The Future of the Japanese Music Heritage

A New York Summit: 

The Future of the Japanese Music Heritage: 

Strategies for Nurturing Japanese Traditional 

Instrumental Genres and New Music 

Saturday, March 9, 2013 

10:30am-5:45pm Summit (free & open to the public) 

Scandinavia House, Victor Borge Hall (58 Park Avenue b/w 37th & 38th St.) 

10:30am-12:45pm Panels 

12:45pm-2:00pm Lunch (provided to panelists on 2nd floor) 

2:00pm-5:15pm Panels 

5:15pm-5:30pm Summit Communiqué 

6:00pm-8:30pm Banquet & Music (invitation only) 

Kitano Hotel, 18th Floor (66 Park Avenue at 38th St.) 

 

SCHEDULE

10:30-10:45 

Opening the Agenda: Summit Rationale and Goals (Barbara Ruch) 

10:45-11:45 

Panel I: Preserving Tradition/Respecting Cultural Evolution 

Chair: Ralph Samuelson 

Panelists: Hitomi Nakamura 

Masayo Ishigure 

Sachi Issui Minegishi 

Christopher Blasdel 

Kevin Fellezs 

Core Issues: The Ryū-ha System: Security and its Challenges 

- The Legacy of Sukeyasu Shiba and Reigakusha (Gagaku) 

- The Legacies of Miyagi and Sawai (koto) 

- The Historical Evolution of Music (Europe/Japan) 

- Even Bach is Loved by Jazz Musicians 

 

11:45-12:45 

Panel II: Music Notation: The Visual Transmission of Sound 

Chair: Barbara Ruch 

Panelists: Takeshi Sasamoto 

Mayumi Miyata 

James Schlefer 

Miyuki Ito 

Core Issues: Tradition and the Challenge of Secret Scores 

- Western and Japanese Systems 9th to 21st centuries 

- Takemitsu and Other Experimenters 

- Where and how do we go from here? 

 

12:45-2:00 

Lunch (provided to the panelists in Scandinavia House, Volvo Hall, 2nd Floor) 

 

2:00-3:00 

Panel III: Composing for Japanese Instruments 

Chair: Martin Regan 

Panelists: Yuka Takechi 

Elizabeth Brown 

François Rose 

Akiko Asai 

Core Issues: Japanese Composing for Western Insturments 

- Non-Japanese Composing for Japanese Instruments 

- Ethnicity in Composing 

- Technical Sound Issues (Oil and Water)

 

3:00-4:00 

Panel IV: Recontextualizing Wa-gakki in Contemporary Performance 

Chair: Christopher Blasdel 

Panelists: Yuriko Hase Kojima 

Akihito Obama 

Kaoru Watanabe 

Naoko Terauchi 

Core Issues: Dealing with Hertz; Halls; Haberdashery 

- Production; Posture; PR 

- Integrity of Voice 

- What’s the price of acceptance? 

 

4:00-4:15 

Coffee Break 

4:15-5:15 

Panel V: Wa-gakki in Computer and Multimedia Performance 

Chair: Akira Takaoka 

Panelists: Mayumi Miyata 

Miyuki Ito 

Yuriko Hase Kojima 

Elizabeth Brown 

Core Issues: Computers as Musical Instruments 

- Bach with Organ/Compose with Computers 

- Pros and Cons of the Lady Gaga Affect 

- Will there be ryū-ha? 

 

5:15-5:30 

Summit Communiqué (Barbara Ruch) 

- Toward the 2014 Summit in Tokyo 

- Toward Establishment of a Wa-gakki Training Academy for World Musicians in Tokyo 

- Toward Globalizing Production and Marketing of Japanese Wa-gakki Music 

 

6:00-8:30 

Banquet & Music (Invitation Only)