Tradition
Innovation
Inspiration
Tradition
Innovation
& Inspiration
THE LATEST
Fall Concert Wrap-Up
Another successful fall concert in the bag. It was so much fun to play a program of all never-before-heard (in Oregon) koto arrangements and compositions. We have so many people to thank, including all our volunteers, the collaborating artists Trifon Markov and Myra Clark, and everyone who came out to support and listen to us.
Now, we get a short rest, and then we start our preparation for our winter concert! Hope to see you there.
Collaborating Artists
In August, we put out a call for visual artists to collaborate with us at our recent fall concert. We selected two artists, Myra Clark and Trifon Markov, whose submissions perfectly fit the theme of this year's program, “East meets West".
Their finished works certainly did not disappoint. Each of them provided two large artworks that were displayed on the Lincoln Recital Hall stage, behind the musicians and with a stack of kotos in the background. We feel so honored that they shared their amazing art with all of us.
These commissioned works are now for sale. For pricing on these and many other pieces by such talented artists, or if you just want to reach out and say hi, please contact them them directly.
About Oregon Koto-Kai
Oregon Koto-Kai is a group of musicians passionate about playing the Japanese koto. Founded by Mitsuki Dazai in February 2012 with only six members, the ensemble held its first concert that fall at Epworth United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon. Since that time, the group has grown to 20 members, and they are featured artists at many festivals and venues throughout the Pacific Northwest each year.
Debut Album Kin Out Now
We're proud to announce that on June 9th we released our first album, Kin, both digitally and on CD! This project started over two years ago and we’re happy to finally share it with the world.
The incredible album art was created by Kayo Kondo-Cox and the beautiful 'Kin' calligraphy was done by Nobuko Chalfen. Kin is the 13th and highest string on a standard koto and because we're releasing this album during our 13th year as an organization, it also symbolizes our progress up to this point. We look forward to sharing koto music and Japanese culture with our community for many more years to come.
Digital and physical copies are now available on Bandcamp, or you can pick up your CD in person at select OKK performances.
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