Special eventThursday 6 December 2012
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Improvising within Tradition: Gallery Concert
Drinks reception from 8:00pm
Daiwa Foundation Japan House, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle, London, NW1 4PQ, Near Baker Street Tube
Organised by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
As part of Nao Matsunaga’s exhibition My Primal Memory at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, we are pleased to invite musician Hibiki Ichikawa to join the special event Improvising within Tradition. Both Matsunaga and Hibiki’s practices stem from training in traditional forms, providing a framework within which they improvise and react to their environment. The event brings together the unique qualities of two different forms, with informative conversation on the history of Tsugaru Shamisen.
About the contributors
Nao Matsunaga
Nao Matsunaga was born in Osaka in 1980, graduating with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art (2005–7); he has exhibited internationally ever since. He has been presented with various awards and scholarships, such as the Jerwood Makers Open 2012, Cove Park Residency, the Anglo-Sweden Society Bursary and the Leverhume Trust’s grant. His works can be found in the public collection of the Crafts Council. He is represented by Marsden Woo Gallery, London.
Hibiki Ichikawa
Hibiki Ichikawa was born in Kanazawa in 1980. He started playing the standard Shamisen at the age of 20, and when he discovered the richness and variety of sound of the Tsugaru Shamisen, he took it up just a year later, training under Master Akihiro Ichikawa. In 2005, he joined the group Cazicazi, playing traditional Japanese music with indie rock. He has performed Tsugaru Shamisen live in Kanazawa, across Japan and internationally in Poland and South Korea. Hibiki moved to London in 2010 to introduce Tsugaru Shamisen to an international audience. He has been performing at a number of events and concerts such as WOMAD and JAPAN MATSURI in the UK. He began teaching Tsugaru Shamisen in Kanazawa in 2008 and he now teaches it to students across London.