JASK
Japan/America Society of Kentucky
Since 1987
On Sunday, April 1 at 3:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of Kentucky, JASK and UK presents two of Japan’s foremost Tsugaru shamisen performers, Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta, the Oyama x Nitta Duo, as part of its ongoing statewide Kentucky Cherry Blossom festival which invites audiences to explore the diversity of Japanese arts and culture. The Tsugaru shamisen is a banjo-like instrument from the Tsugaru region in Aomori Prefecture in the northernmost part of Japan’s central island of Honshu. Both Oyama and Nitta are known for using the instrument to bring a modern sensibility to an ancient, highly percussive folk music, which is sometimes referred to as “Japanese bluegrass.” Using an innovative approach to the traditional sounds of the shamisen, they perform classic and original scores with virtuosic improvisations that display the versatility of the instrument. Oyama and Nitta will present a program featuring traditional music from Northern and Southern Japan and the elaborate, animated folk songs of Tsugaru as well as original music by the artists.
Where:Memorial Hall
610 S. Limestone St. Lexington KY 40506
Pay parking is available across Limestone at the corner of S. Limestone and Prall St.- http://lexington.centralparking.com/Lexington-601-North-Limestone-Street-Parking.html
Also, parking on the UK Campus, is open on Sundays.