kugo harp concert program
DESCRIPTION
Tomoko Sugawara visits the International Center to play the ancient Kugo harp. Tomoko, a world renowned harpist, is one of the few people in the world playing the Kugo today!TRANSCRIPT
Kugo Music
Tomoko Sugawara – Kugo (Ancient Asian Harp)
September 17th, 2010, 7 PM
The International Center in New York
50 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Tensagu‐no‐Hana Japanese folk song
Waves of Kokonor CHINESE SONG [8‐9 CENTURY]
Qawl QUȚB AL‐DĪN AL‐SHĪRĀZĪ [1236‐1311]
Quțb al‐Dīn al‐Shīrāzī [1236‐1311]
Cantiga de Santa María, No. 60 Alfonso X of Spain [1221‐1284]
Cantiga de Santa María, No. 249 Alfonso X of Spain [1221‐1284]
Cantiga de Santa María, No.213 Alfonso X of Spain [1221‐1284]
Gulpembe Sephardic song
Machiboke Japanese Okinawa region’s song
Tomoko Sugawara enjoys playing harps in a variety of ways. She performs classical and world music, and her repertory ranges from ancient to contemporary music. Her instruments are a concert harp, a lever harp and an ancient harp, the kugo.
Ms. Sugawara was born in Tokyo, Japan, and began playing the Irish harp at age twelve. She took up the concert harp at sixteen and it was her main instrument when she graduated from Tokyo University of Fine Arts. Since 1991 she also plays reconstructions if the kugo. She has given numerous solo recitals on the concert harp and the kugo in major international venues, such as the World Harp Congress (in Prague and Amsterdam), Indiana University, Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and The British Museum.
She played with a number of orchestras in Japan. She has recorded a solo recital on a CD called “Spring” and played duo improvisations with a saxophone on a CD called “East Meets West” (1998). The first kugo CD ever, “Along the Silk Road,” released in April 2010.
Website: http://www.kugoharp.com
Website: http://www.motema.com/artist/TomokoSugawara