On Wednesday the 4th of May the AJS-Q was delighted to welcome award-winning Koto musician Ikoujyu Tanno and her students to the Society’s “An Evening with…” series of webinars.
Being able to see koto played in Australia is difficult, let alone by a leading musician free of charge, and from the comfort of our own homes. This was a unique opportunity for all those who joined the event and Tanno sensei did not disappoint. After sharing the history of the instrument, that left even seasoned koto players fascinated, the audience was treated to a performance of “A reimaging of Cherry Blossoms 桜変奏曲“ and the contemporary piece “A Thousand Cherry Blossoms 千本桜.”
It was lovely to watch Tanno sensei’s students play and show off their best Kimono and Hakama for us as well. For a moment it was as if we had all escaped and been transported to her classroom in Japan. Tanno sensei was a gracious and generous speaker who went out of her way to overcome technical difficulties to stage both a great seminar and a performance worth remembering. She left us all wanting more. Thanks to everyone who joined the webinar and all those who made the event possible, it was a night to remember.
The AJS-Q’s webinar series is a great way to connect with Japan and gives even serial Japanophiles an opportunity to learn more about niche areas of Japanese culture that can be hard to discover, even when living in Japan. We have some great webinars planned for the next few months so keep and eye on the AJS-Q’s website and enewsletter as well as our Facebook page and Eventbrite page.
The Committee welcomes topic suggestions for the webinar series so please let us know your ideas.