Tuesday, September 23, 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium
General Admission: $15; Five College, GCC, Seniors and 17 & under $10
A multi-faceted musician and singer Makiko Sakurai will present her adaptations of the Shomyo Buddhist chants from the Heian period (701-1192 AD) as well as ancient songs known as Shirabyoshi. Though a Tendai “outsider,” Makiko Sakurai has become famous in Japan as a chanter of Tendai shomyo. A music graduate of Osaka University of Arts, she majored in piano and composition receiving her masters from the Tokyo College of Music. She has adapted shomyo for contemporary settings in collaboration with Japanese composers Mamoru Fujieda and Ayuo. She appears on two CDs of Ayuo and Mamoru Fujieda: “The Night Chant” and “Izutsu,” both released on the Tzadik label. She has also performed works for American composers, Peter Garland and Carl Stone. Ms. Sakurai has written the scripts for her original collaborative pieces with Noh theatre including “Bamboo Princess” (2006), “Manhattan Okina” (2007-2013), “Pirate Princess” (2009, 2013) and “Sword Mound” (2010). She has also written for a collaborative piece with the puppet theatre, Kokeshi Joruri “The Bridegroom of Hanako” (2011, 2013).
Presented in collaboration with the UMass Japanese Studies program.
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Ms. Sakurai will present workshops at Smith and Hampshire CollegesSongwriter and vocalist of the Tendai Buddhist chanting as well as a singer of Shirabyoshi ancient songs, Ms. Sakurai will present a lecture demonstration of her work derived from study of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, music of the Ryu-teki (a flute used in Gagaku orchestra) from Master Sukeyasu Shiba and ancient songs, closed to public.
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My friend and I felt that this performance, however excellent an example it was of this ancient art, was just too far over the line to be considered for the “entertainment” offerings of the FAC series. We have greatly enjoyed past Asian Arts performances, but this was more of graduate course in a very specialized field, and was inappropriate to be a part of the FAC-Asian Arts Series. It was much too esoteric, and should have been offered for a graduate course in some very narrowly delineated Japanese ancient arts class. I must say that it is the first of the many wonderful Asian Arts offerings of the FAC and UMASS to make us wish we had not bought the tickets!
My husband and I enjoyed the performance. The atonal sounds were difficult to absorb at first. A workshop, open to the public, may have assisted us to more fully to enjoy the performance. Malik’s Sakurai’s vocal range and control were phenomenal! This is a treasure and an inspiration to ponder the range of the human voice in both secular and spiritual development. We loved the performance. Just her relationship to movement especially with her fan, had a message about the beauty of deliberate, slow, and meaningful visual communication.
My husband and I enjoyed the performance. The atonal sounds were difficult to absorb at first. A workshop, open to the public, may have assisted us to be ready for this unusal but meaningful experience. Ms. Sakurai’s vocal range and control were phenomenal! This historic experience was a historical treasure; and an inspiration for us to ponder the range of the human voice in both secular and spiritual development. We loved the performance. Just her relationship to movement, especially with her fan, had a message about the beauty of deliberate, slow, and meaningful visual communication in both our secular and spiritual worlds..