Koto & Shamisen Performance Held in Lahore

                                                                                   
The Embassy of Japan in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Council organized an enchanting performance of traditional Japanese instrumental music “Koto & Shamisen” by visiting Japanese artistes Ms. Sumie Kaneko here at the Alhamra Hall of the Lahore Arts Council. The music performance was titled “Japanese Traditional Music and Improvisation” where Sumie Kaneko joined Pakistani musicians to create improvisation that drew a big applause from the audience. Earlier this week Ms. Kaneko gave a thrilling performance of Koto & Shamisen at the Lok Virsa auditorium in Islamabad and won great appreciation from the music and art lovers present on the occasion.

Ms. SUMIE KANEKO is an internationally recognized Japanese Koto & Shamisen player as well as Jazz singer and songwriter. She has been recognized as a pioneer by her chromatic use of the Japanese instruments Koto and Shamisen. Ms. KANEKO has been collaborating with many of the world’s instrumentalists and has arrived in Pakistan for the third time to collaborate with some Pakistani musicians.
Koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, which is similar to the Pakistani Santoor or Swarmandal. The Shamisen is a three stringed instrument similar to a Banjo.

 Ms. SUMIE KANEKO studied Japanese traditional music at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music then studied Jazz vocal at Berklee College of Music in 2006. She started playing Koto when she was five years old. She was the first Shamisen player that won Pulitzer Prize Paula Vogel’s “The Long Christmas Ride Home”, and has collaborated with many of world instrumentalists such as Kenny Endo, Kaoru Watanabe etc.  
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