Koto Matsuri
On March 26th, 2023 we hosted our spring show at Boxland Media Studios, Koto Matsuri! We themed this one around Japanese festivals such as Tanabata and Hina Matsuri (Girls’ Day) and it was so fun! We performed 8 pieces, and Lori made her debut playing the shamisen for an audience! Lisa also made a fantastic koto-shaped cake with white chocolate koto bridges! Super cute and VERY tasty :)
29th Asian Festival
We’ve particpated in the Columbus Asian Festival for many years, and after a 3-year hiatus due to COVID, we were thrilled to be back in person at this fun event! Our friends at JASCO invited us to host a koto workshop at their booth and we also put on two performances. The weather was perfect and our audiences were great as usual :)
Cincinnati Opera - Madame Butterfly
This year we were presented with an amazing opportunity to play pre-show lobby music for the Cincinnati Opera’s production of Madame Butterfly during two weekends in July at the beautiful Music Hall. It was such a cool space and the audiences were really kind!
August Koto Workshop
For the first time in August we hosted our very own workshop for 6 first-time koto players at Boxland’s new studio space, and is was a great success! Cheered on by friends in the audience, our students learned a simple version of “Sakura Sakura” in just one hour! We are so proud of their bravery and how well they picked up the basics of playing koto. We plan to have more of these events in the future!
2023 JASCO Obon Festival
In August we got to perform again for JASCO’s Obon Festival in Dublin, OH and it was super fun! It was an even bigger event this year with lots of music performances, martial arts and variety of vendors. We can’t wait for next year!
Ohio Dental Association & JASCO Grassroots Summit
The weekend of September 23-24 was a busy one as we performed at two great events, the Ohio Dental Association (ODA)’s Annual Session and the JASCO 2023 Grassroots Summit at the Columbus Zoo’s Africa Event Center. We had great audiences, and the zoo had the bonus of giraffes strolling around right outside! :)
Hilliard Sunday Concert Series
On October 22nd, 2023 we performed at the Columbus Metropolitan Library: Hilliard Branch to a lovely audience, performing an hour of varied music and answering lots of great questions about the koto!
Sawai Koto Celebration
On November 5th, 2023 we held our first concert at Boxland’s new space, a celebration of famous father and son koto composers Tadao and Hikaru Sawai. Many thanks to our wonderful audience, it was a lovely afternoon of music!
