Enjoy a free koto and violin performance by Masumi Timson and Fumino Ando at 1:15pm at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center.
Artist Bio: Masumi Timson
Masumi Timson is a performer and instructor of the Koto and Shamisen – traditional musical instruments of Japan. She holds a Master’s Degree in Music with a specialization in the koto and shamisen from Seiha Conservatory of Japanese Traditional Music, one of the most prestigious koto schools in Japan. Masumi plays both classical and contemporary koto music, and also sings Japanese classical songs with koto and shamisen accompaniment. She also enjoys collaborating with various western musical instruments to explore a wide range of musical genres, from jazz and tango, to western classical compositions by Bach and Mozart. Masumi has participated in many recordings of Pink Martini, and has performed with the band at various venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Grand Rex Theatre in Paris. Masumi is also a Japanese language professor and currently teaches Japanese language and culture at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon.
Artist Bio: Fumino Ando
Fumino Ando was born in Aichi, Japan. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Performance from Toho Gakuen University of Music in Tokyo, an Artist Diploma from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and a Master’s degree from Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. She has played with the New World Symphony in Miami, and served as the assistant concertmaster for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. In 2002, she joined the Oregon Symphony in Portland.
Fumino has performed at several music festivals including Tanglewood (Lenox, Massachusetts), La Jolla (California), Santa Fe (New Mexico), The International Laureates Chamber Music Festival in Los Angeles, and Zephyr Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy.
She was awarded the Diploma Honor Prize in Chamber Music from the Chigiana
Music Academy in Siena, Italy. In the Netherlands, she won the Donemus
Performance Prize for her performance of Dutch contemporary music
About the Koto
The standard Koto is a thirteen-string plucked zither. It was introduced to Japan from China through the Korean Peninsula in the 7th century. The instrument has been part of the Gagaku court ensemble for over one thousand years, gradually becoming popular among the merchant classes of the Edo period (1600-1868). An important member of the traditional Sankyoku ensemble, along with the three-string Shamisen and Shakuhachi (bamboo flute), the Koto developed further in a solo capacity, eventually gaining its place as one of Japan’s most prominent musical instruments. Today a varied repertoire along with a wide range of playing techniques provides a wonderful palette of sound textures, making the Koto appealing to audiences the world over.
Portland Japanese Garden would like to thank James F. and Marion L. The Miller Foundation and Oregon Arts Commission for their support of arts and culture programming.
