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On January 18th, a New Year's Salon Concert was held at
Ambassador Ando's residence. The concert
featured three wonderful musicians: Japanese
American violinists, Amy and Ray Iwazumi, and
Ms. Masayo Ishigure, a professional koto
performer.
The Iwazumis were born in the U.S. and began studying
the violin at early ages; Ray at age six and Amy
at a tender age of three. Both of them attended
the Julliard School of Music under the tutelage
of the late Dorothy DeLay, a prominent violin
teacher whose students are among the most famous
performers such as Midori Goto and Teiko
Maehashi. Amy and Ray have received numerous
awards at international competitions, and while
they perform mainly in New York, they also
perform with many leading orchestras in Europe.
Beyond their solo performances, they continue to
thrill audiences with their violin duet
performances all over the globe. At the
Ambassador's residence, Amy and Ray played
several pieces by Beriot, Ysaye, followed by
their original arrangement of composer Kosaku
Yamada's traditional Japanese music, "Aka Tombo"
(Red Dragonfly). The young performers dazzled
the listeners with their impeccable technique
and heart-touching melodies, played in complete
harmony.
The concert also featured Ms. Masayo Ishigure, a
fabulous musician who currently teaches koto at
Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She also
participates frequently in music-related events
and introduces this Japanese string musical
instrument to the local American people who are
not familiar with its beautiful sound. Ms.
Ishigure's extensive performance experiences
include playing for CBS's broadcast of the 1998
Nagano Olympics and playing at a pregame
performance at Shea Stadium on "Asian Day".
At the Ambassador's residence, Ms. Ishigure
played a traditional Japanese music called, "Chidori
no Kyoku" and a contemporary piece called "Tsubasa
ni Notte" (On the Wings), composed by koto
player and composer Tadao Sawai. The gentle
traditional sound of koto combined with western
rhythm and dynamic movement of the strings
created an innovative sound. Ms. Ishigure was
given a huge applause for her wonderful
performance.
The guests that evening included those who appreciate
music and commit to furthering the art of music.
The guests included people of all professions,
such as doctors, lawyers, businessmen,
professors, and many more. Approximately 70
guests showed up, and all of the guests seemed
to have enjoyed the concert, dinner reception,
and the after-concert interaction with the
musicians.
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