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Join Portland Japanese Garden for a free cultural performance of koto (Japanese zither) and shakuhachi (bamboo flute). Koto master Curtis Patterson and Shakuhachi virtuoso Bruce Huebner will perform as the duo Také to Ito (Bamboo and Strings), at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center.
Také to Ito have been forging a fresh path for two of Japan’s most iconic instruments since 2003. Drawing on over 40 years of study, performance, and teaching in Japan, their music flows freely from classical honkyoku and jiuta to compositions by John Coltrane, Ralph Towner, and Edward MacDowell. At times improvisational, their original works and arrangements are always deeply rooted in tradition while speaking vividly to the present moment. The duo recently completed an acclaimed Australian tour and will bring their unique sound to the U.S. West Coast in September and October 2026.
Japan-based Californian Bruce Huebner is a globally recognized shakuhachi master who made history in 1993 as the first non-Japanese graduate of the Traditional Japanese Music Department at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, where he studied under National Treasure Yamaguchi Goro. A fluent bilingual clinician and recording artist, he has performed at prestigious venues worldwide and maintains an active schedule across Japan and abroad with multiple ensembles and solo projects. Learn more about Huebner at shakuhachibruce.net
Curtis Patterson is a Tokyo-based koto master who trained with modern luminary Tadao Sawai, holds a master’s license from the Sawai Koto Institute, and is the first foreigner to graduate from the NHK traditional Japanese music program. His international performances have taken him to the main stage at Malaysia’s Rain Forest World Music Festival and the Kennedy Center. A passionate advocate for the koto’s expressive possibilities, Patterson maintains a varied performance schedule alongside a teaching studio in Tokyo. Learn more about Patterson at curtkoto.com
Portland Japanese Garden would like to thank James F. and Marion L. The Miller Foundation and Toshiba International Foundation for their support of arts and culture programming.
