CHIE & KEITA
FRIDAY, 12 APRIL 2024 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Hanawa Chie is one of Japan’s leading tsugaru shamisen players, and she brings a distinctive delicacy to the more percussive, baritone nature of this style of shamisen. Kanazashi Keita is a celebrated wadaiko percussionist, known for the gracefulness he has cultivated through his practice of kendo and traditional Japanese dance. They have formed their duo especially for this Vancouver visit. Given the expansive musical imagination and genre-defying versatility of both players, expect a performance that transcends the traditional Japanese folk music in which they are rooted.
About Chie
Hanawa Chie, a Tsugaru Shamisen artist from Ibaraki, Japan, began her training at age 9 under Mitsuyoshi Sasaki. At 17, she became the youngest ever winner in the female A group at the Tsugaru Shamisen national competition. Hanawa made her major debut with the album “Tsuki No Usagi” while studying at Tokyo University of the Arts, leading to performances in live music clubs in Tokyo. Her career has taken her from the Imperial Palace to international stages like the Cannes Lions Festival, with tours in the Americas, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, often sponsored by The Japan Foundation and Japanese diplomatic posts. Recently, she’s gained media attention with appearances in commercials and the Japanese pop music scene, continuing to draw interest as a rising Tsugaru Shamisen talent.
http://www.chiehanawa.munique.co.jp/
About Keita
Percussionist Kanazashi Keita started to play Taiko at local Tokyo festivals when he was 11 years old. In 2001, he formed the three-piece taiko group HA・YA・TO with his two younger brothers. Since then he has performed throughout Japan and internationally, in taiko ensembles, bands, and as a solo wadaiko artist. Keita’s style of performance is deeply influenced by elements of Kendo, Japanese dance, and Kabuki-bayashi, and is praised as a beautifully balanced fusion of sensitivity, power, dynamism, profound passion, and breathtaking elegance.
https://keita-taiko.com/