Presented to you by CDZ Collegium Musica

& the Greater Portland Flute Society

Program Description

We are excited to bring two extraordinary classical Japanese music artists to Oregon, Miho Yamaji (koto, Japanese zither) and Shakuhachi master Kodō Akari (shakuhachi, bamboo flute), for our audience to enjoy. We think this will be a great opportunity for flutists to experience traditional Japanese bamboo flute (with its unique tone) and the koto (Japanese harp) and classical Japanese repertoire (from the middle ages to the 20th century). This repertoire and the opportunity to participate in such a unique cultural exchange will make this a memorable occasion to be cherished for a lifetime.

Related, Special Workshop for Flutists

SATURDAY, October 19th at 10 am will be a lecture-workshop by Pavel and Miho. They will perform some pieces and provide historical information about their instruments. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. Portland State University, Lincoln Hall, auditorium.

This workshop will include GPFS member LeeAnn McKenna demonstrating how she adjusts her technique on the traditional flute to approximate the tone quality of the Shakuhachi. This is more of an educational session for Greater Portland Flute Society members and other interested flutists and musicians.

You Are Invited

Date & Time: Sunday, October 20th, 2024, 2:00 concert. Tentative, followed by a brief workshop on these instruments.

Where: The Old Madeleine Church, 3240 NE 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97212. The entrance to the performance hall is on 23rd. Parking available at the lots behind the building on 24th. Street parking around as well. The address of 3123 NE 24th Ave. sometimes comes up in Maps services and works as well. This is for the Parish Hall and the School is 3240 NE 23rd. Either one will get you there fine. It is all on one big block. Just know the Old Madeleine Church concert entrance is on 23rd, closest to the school. Watch for signage to help guide you to the entrance.

Cost: FREE for all. However, the artists will accept donations at the door.

Tickets: No need to purchase tickets or otherwise register for the event. Just show up!

Meet the Guest Artists

Miho Yamaji, is one of Japan's finest koto performers. She started koto lessons at the age of five. She graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Studied under Kazue Sawai as an intern in the “Japanese Fine Art Internship Program” sponsored by the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs. She often appears on the Japan Broad casting corporation’s (NHK)- FM radio program “Hogaku no hitotoki”, as well as her husband Mr. Io. Ms. Yamaji teaches koto at Okayama University. She is also performs throughout Japan and abroad. 

Araki Kodo, For six generations, the Araki family has carried the Kodō name and its perspective on the tradition of Kinko-Ryū shakuhachi. There are few sounds more quintessentially Japanese than the shakuhachi, an end-blown bamboo flute. Kodō Araki the 6th is a living connection to this music dating back to the middle of the 18th century. For the Araki family, the shakuhachi is more than a musical instrument; it is a conduit handed down through his family from father to son for generations. It is as much a tool for artistic expression as it is for cultural storytelling. Since his debut in 1988, Kodō the 6th has served as ambassador for Kinko-ryū, the primary branch of shakuhachi study, through education and performance. Araki played for the 1200th Anniversary of Kiyomizu-dera's Kannon Bodhisattva; was a featured soloist with the Seattle Symphony and performed at the Newport Folk Festival, and was invited to participate in the Interdependence Day Celebration in Mexico City and the Future of Music Coalition in Rio de Janeiro. Named for his great-great grandfather, Hanzaburō, or Hanz as he’s commonly known, made his professional debut in 1988 in Shimonoseki, Japan where he was given the name Baikyoku by his father, Kodo Araki the 5th. He attained the name Kodo at his father’s retirement ceremony in Tokyo in 2009. Hanz performed and taught in Japan until 1992 when he returned to the United States and shifted his focus almost entirely to performing.