(Photo: Kevin McMillan)
Greetings!
I'm very happy to say that along with Ms. Ryoko Itabashi of Ottawa, we delivered a successful concert at the Embassy of Japan in Ottawa, entitled A Musical Journey through Japan.
The house was seated to capacity and we received a tremendous applause and a warm standing ovation. The show was several months in the making and required long distance coordination that slowed progress at times, but with the generous support of our friends at the Embassy and our volunteer camera and film crew, we managed to bring it together in a very enjoyable concert.
A Musical Journey through Japan was an exhibition of traditional koten (classical), minyo (folk) and ohayashi (festival) music drawn from distinct regions throughout Japan. It was a real adventure to prepare the arrangements and watch as concept came to fruition on the stage.
We scheduled the show in January to celebrate the new year and it truly was an amazing way to begin 2015. Be sure to check out some highlights in the Gallery - more pictures and videos are on the way.
I must express my gratitude to those who helped to put everything together and to Ryoko for her tireless work coordinating our efforts at great distance.
I wish the best to all in the new year!
-Kokichi