Press Center

JapanNYC
A CITYWIDE FESTIVAL OF JAPANESE ARTSAND CULTURE PRESENTED BY
CARNEGIE HALL AND OTHER NEW YORK CITY CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
CONTINUES IN MARCH AND APRIL 2011

NEW EVENTS ADDED TO SPRING FESTIVAL LINEUP:

Deerhoof & Friends, Indie Rock Concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge

Panel Discussion Entitled Innovating and Profiting in Contemporary JapanLed by
Norman Pearlstine of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Businessweek
Presented by Carnegie Hall in Partnership with Bloomberg

Macy’s Becomes JapanNYC Partner with Special
Japanese Garden at Annual Macy’s Flower Show

Two Panels with Wall Street Journal Columnists:
One on the Future of Personal Technology with Sir Howard Stringer of Sony, and
One on Automobiles, Design, and Sake,
Both Presented by Carnegie Hall in Partnership with The Wall Street Journal

Calligraphy Exhibit and j-CATION 2011 All-Day Open House at Japan Society

JapanNYC Spring Events Begin on Monday, March 14 

This spring, from Monday, March 14to Saturday, April 9, Carnegie Hall launches part two of JapanNYC,an ambitious two-part citywide festival inviting audiences to explore theincredible diversity of Japanese arts and culture with more than 65performances and events at Carnegie Hall and New York City partner venues.

The spring lineup of more than 40 events will include classical, pop, andtraditional Japanese music (including free Neighborhood Concerts), noh theater,taiko drumming, dance, film, exhibitions, workshops, and panel discussions on awide variety of topics. Featured artists in JapanNYC this spring includeviolinist Midori, the NHK Symphony Orchestra led by AndréPrevin, Bach Collegium Japan with conductor Masaaki Suzuki, KodoDrummers, Kasha-juku Noh Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company,Eiko & Koma, jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, shamisenplayers Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta, pianist AimiKobayashi, and many more.

A number of exciting, new events have been added to the JapanNYC springlineup since the festival began in December. Two new events kick off JapanNYC’sspring schedule on March 14:

• Panel Discussion: Innovating and Profiting in Contemporary Japan; Japan's economic setbacks haven't stifled opportunities for smart companies to thrive. Join a discussion with Norman Pearlstine, Chief Content Officer, Bloomberg LP; and Chairman, Bloomberg Businessweek, as he speaks with leaders from Gilt Groupe, Dentsu, and other organizations about how they're profiting in a challenging but lucrative environment; Monday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall; presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Bloomberg.
   
• Concert: Deerhoof & Friends; contemporary indie rock from Japan with special guests Ichi and If By Yes (featuring Yuka Honda and Petra Haden); Monday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. at (Le) Poisson Rouge; presented by (Le) Poisson Rouge.
   
• Exhibition: Macy’s Flower Show: Towers of Flowers; within this year’s show, visitors will have the opportunity to explore and learn about the Japanese garden, which is unveiled with a special performance by the “Thunder Drummers” of the New York Suwa Taiko Association; begins Sunday, March 27 at 11:00 a.m. at Macy’s Herald Square. Presented by Macy’s.
   
• Panel Discussion: From Race Cars to Rice Wine: Inside Japanese Style with WSJ Weekend; join Wall Street Journal columnists and special guests as they explore automotive and industrial design in Japan and the art of sake, with a sake-tasting to follow; Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall; presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with The Wall Street Journal.
   
• Panel Discussion: Talking Tech with The Wall Street Journal; Walt Mossberg, personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, discusses consumer technology with Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO, and President of Sony Corporation; Friday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall; presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with The Wall Street Journal.
   
• Exhibition: Brush: Recent Calligraphy by Masako Inkyo; Japan Society’s calligraphy instructor presents a show of recent work; begins Friday, April 1 at Japan Society. Presented by Japan Society.
   
• Special Event: j-CATION 2011: Beyond Cute; an all-day open house taking visitors beyond Japan’s kawaii (cute) culture introducing them to some of the most recent, radical, and wondrous trends in Japan today; Saturday, April 9, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. at Japan Society; presented by Japan Society.

Also, special walk-in Japanese-language tours of CarnegieHall will be given at 12:30 p.m. on March 22, March 26, April 5, and April9. The public may visit carnegiehall.org/japannyc for the most up-to-dateinformation on festival events, interviews with artists, videos, slideshows,and other content providing insight into Japan’s arts scene and JapanNYCfestival offerings. Carnegie Hall’s social media sites, facebook.com/carnegiehalland twitter.com/carnegiehall, will also share festival information including a specialorigami contest.

In addition, Toshiba Corporation, a Supporting Sponsor of JapanNYC, willfeature festival artists and information on its giant Toshiba Vision screenatop One Times Square from March 14 to April 9.

The JapanNYC festival explores the world of Japan today, where artistsembrace their country’s unique aesthetic sensibilities while continuallyrevitalizing its cultural landscape. Led by famed conductor Seiji Ozawaas Artistic Director, JapanNYC celebrates a country that values its long-standingcultural heritage while also embracing and transforming Western art forms, in aspirit that very much looks ahead.

The festival extends throughout New York City, thanks to partnerships with 26prestigious New York cultural institutions, including Absolutely LiveEntertainment and New Audiences; Asian Contemporary Art Week; Asia Society;Baryshnikov Arts Center; Bloomberg; Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Danspace Project;Film Forum; Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University;Japan Society; The Juilliard School; Macy’s; The New York Public Library; TheNoguchi Museum; The Paley Center for Media; Paul Szilard Productions and MarthaGraham Center of Contemporary Dance; The Wall Street Journal; WordlessMusic; Works & Process at the Guggenheim; and the World Music Institute.Free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts at partner venues—Brooklyn Center forthe Performing Arts; Abrons Art Center at Henry Street Settlement; LaGuardiaPerforming Arts Center; and Lehman Stages at Lehman College in the Bronx—willensure that JapanNYC is accessible to all.

Extending beyond New York, Carnegie Hall continues its partnership with thePhilharmonic Society of Orange County for a second consecutive year. Selectartists appearing in JapanNYC will also perform this season atSegerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, as part of JapanOC,a West Coast festival presented by the Philharmonic Society from October 2010through April 2011, thanks to the generous support of South Coast Plaza.


 

COMPLETEMARCH-APRIL JapanNYC PROGRAMMING IN NEW YORK CITY:
(Presented by Carnegie Hall unless otherwise noted)  

CONCERTS

Deerhoof & Friends (NEW)
March 14, 8:00 p.m., (Le) Poisson Rouge
Deerhoof—the Tokyo/San Francisco avant-rock foursome, known internationally forits unforgettable live performances that combine sugary pop melodies with aplayful, experimental spirit—curates and headlines this special appearancealongside artists who represent the best of contemporary experimental, rock,and electronic music from Japan. Also appearing are Ichi, from Nagoya in Japan,who takes the notion of a one-man band to new limits—combining steel-drum withping-pong balls, tape-loops with double bass, and trumpet with bongos, and IfBy Yes, a new collaboration between keyboardist/sampler Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto)and vocalist Petra Haden (that dog, The Rentals) with drummer Yuko Araki andguitarist Hirotaka "Shimmy" Shimizu, known for their work withCornelius and Mi-gu. Presented by Wordless Music.

Kodo Drummers
March 20; 7:00 p.m., Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Exploring the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese taiko drum,Kodo forges new directions in this vibrant art form. Its name is derived fromthe Japanese word for “heartbeat”—humanity’s most fundamental source of rhythm.Presented by Absolutely Live Entertainment and New Audiences Productions.

NHK Symphony Orchestra
March 21; 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Japan’s oldest professional orchestra—with over 80 years of history—returns toCarnegie Hall for the first time in five years, with its Principal GuestConductor André Previn leading a program that includes Takemitsu’s Green,Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa andProkofiev’s Symphony No. 5.

Bach Collegium Japan with Masaaki Suzuki
March 22; 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Japan’s premier period instrument ensemble and chamber choir, led by itsFounder and Artistic Director Masaaki Suzuki, performs one of Bach’s greatchoral works, the Mass in B Minor. Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 p.m. inStern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with Benjamin Sosland of The Juilliard School.

Violinist Midori in recital with pianist Charles Abramovic
March 23; 7:30 p.m., Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
Acclaimed violinist Midori presents the first of her two JapanNYCprograms, a recital of contemporary music with pianist Charles Abramovic,including works by Huw Watkins, Brett Dean, Toshio Hosokawa, James MacMillan,and John Adams.

Shamisen Players Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta
March 25; 10:00 p.m., Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
Performing on the shamisen, a banjo-like instrument from the Tsugaruregion in northern Japan, this duo brings a modern sensibility to an ancient,highly percussive folk music. Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership withWorld Music Institute.

Glories of the Japanese Traditional Musical Heritage: Japanese Sacred CourtMusic
and Ancient Soundscapes Reborn
March 29; 6:00 p.m., Miller Theatre, Columbia University
Protected by the Imperial Japanese Court for more than 1,000 years, gagakuis the world’s oldest living orchestral music. The program includes traditionalpieces, as well as works by contemporary composers at the forefront of arevival of this traditional art form, and features the Columbia GagakuInstrumental Ensemble, shō player Mayumi Miyata, hichiriki playerHitomi Nakamura, ryūteki player Takeshi Sasamoto, and harpist BridgetKibbey. Presented by the Institute of Medieval Japanese Studies at ColumbiaUniversity.

Juilliard Percussion Ensemble
March 29; 8:00 p.m., Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
In a program entitled Ceremony and Ritual, the Juilliard PercussionEnsemble, directed by Daniel Druckman, performs music by Tōru Takemitsu, MakiIshii, Akira Nishimura, Hiroya Miura, and Jo Kondo. Presented by The JuilliardSchool.

Pianist Aimi Kobayashi in Recital
April 3; 7:30 p.m., Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Fifteen-year-old piano prodigy Aimi Kobayashi has been performing since the ageof three and won Japan’s PTNA Piano Competition for four straight yearsbeginning in 2001. She has since become a YouTube sensation, garnering over onemillion viewers. She performs during JapanNYC as part of Carnegie Hall’sDistinctive Debuts series.

Chamber Music Featuring Violinist Midori and Friends
April 5; 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Midori returns, performing works by Haydn, Schubert, and Dvořák with violistNobuko Imai, cellist Antoine Lederlin, and pianist Jonathan Biss.

Jazz Pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi
April 6; 9:30 p.m., Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
The great jazz pianist/composer Toshiko Akiyoshi performs solos, trios, andquartets with her husband, tenor saxophonist and flutist Lew Tabackin, bassistPaul Gill, and drummer Mark Taylor. Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnershipwith Absolutely Live Entertainment LLC.

New Juilliard Ensemble
April 8; 8:00 p.m., Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
Music Director Joel Sachs conducts the New Juilliard Ensemble in a programtitled The New Japan, featuring music of the Japanese avant-garde afterWorld War II, including works by Joe Kondo, Ushio Torikai, Somei Satoh, ToshioHosokawa, Akira Nishimura, and Karen Tanaka. Presented by The Juilliard School.


THEATER

Kashu-juku Noh Theater
March 24–26; 7:30 p.m., Japan Society
Audiences can encounter Japanese theater developed and preserved since the 14thcentury—a chance to experience the 600-year-old tradition of noh and kyogenperformed back-to-back. Kyoto-based Kashu-juku Noh Theater, led by KatayamaShingo of the prestigious Katayama noh family, is joined by kyogenactors from the Shigeyama family. Presented by Japan Society.

See also below: Noh Workshop: Movement and Musical Instruments.


DANCE

Isamu Noguchi and Martha Graham: A Legendary Collaboration
March 17, 8:00 p.m., and 20, 2:00 p.m.; Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall
The Martha Graham Dance Company performs a program that includes the beloved AppalachianSpring, a 20th-century retelling of Medea in Cave of the Heart, andan erotic Adam-and-Eve tale of contemporary marriage in Embattled Garden—allfeaturing set designs by famed Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi.Presented by Paul Szilard Productions and Martha Graham Center of ContemporaryDance.

Eiko and Koma: Naked, A Living Installation
March 29–April 9 (various times); Baryshniknov Arts Center
This two-week-long movement/visual art installation features Eiko & Koma’sexploration of nakedness, desire, and the elasticity of time, set in animmersive and charged organic environment of their handcrafted design. InNaked, Eiko & Koma will be on continual view, in closer proximity to theaudience than ever before. Audiences may come and go as they wish—or stay allevening. In adjacent spaces, view a companion video installation highlightingEiko & Koma's decades of media work. Naked was commissioned by the WalkerArt Center. Presented by Baryshnikov Arts Center in partnership with AsiaSociety and Danspace Project.

For more dance see also below: A Window on Japan: A Film Series.


FILM

Five Japanese Divas
April 1–21; various times; Film Forum
Spotlighting five legendary actresses from the golden age of Japanesecinema—Setsuko Hara, Machiko Kyo, Hideko Takamine, Ayako Wakao, and IsuzuYamada—this celebration features over 35 films, including some previouslyunknown in the US. Presented by Film Forum.

A Window on Japan: A Film Series
April 2–3; various times; The Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media will present three programs of arts and culturefilms about Japan from its collection, including a special family screeningevent, and such documentaries as Béjart’s Kabuki Ballet (1986), CameraThree: Bunraku: The Classical Puppets of Japan (1973), Leonard Bernsteinand the New York Philharmonic in Japan (1962) and Ode to Joy: 10,000Voices Resound (2002). Presented by The Paley Center for Media.


WORKSHOPS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Innovating and Profiting in Contemporary Japan (NEW)
March 14; 7:30 p.m.; Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Japan's economic setbacks haven't stifled opportunities for smart companies tothrive. Join a discussion with Norman Pearlstine, Chief Content Officer,Bloomberg LP; and Chairman, Bloomberg Businessweek, as he speaks withleaders from Gilt Groupe, Dentsu, and other organizations about how they'reprofiting in a challenging but lucrative environment. Panelists will includeSusan Lyne, Chairman, Gilt Groupe; Tim Pollak, Adviser, Dentsu Inc.; andChairman, Vertical Knowledge, and Kristie Woodland Seawright, ExecutiveDirector, Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. Presented by CarnegieHall in partnership with Bloomberg.

Manga Drawing Workshop with Misako Rocks
March 22 and 29, and April 5; 4:00 p.m.; New York Public Library; Grand CentralBranch; 135 E. 46th St.
Kids, ages 12–18, are invited to learn how to draw characters, plot stories,and more with manga creator Misako Rocks. Materials will be provided. Presentedby the New York Public Library.

Noh Workshop: Movement and Musical Instruments
March 26; 1:00 p.m.; Japan Society
Members of the public can immerse themselves in the centuries-old practice of nohtraining in this intensive workshop. Company members of Kashu-juku Noh Theaterlead exercises in traditional noh movement and give participants anopportunity to play the traditional noh instruments kotsuzumi(small hand-drum) and fue (flute). This workshop offers a rare hands-onexperience of this 600-year-old art form. Presented by Japan Society.

From Race Cars to Rice Wine: Inside Japanese Style with WSJ Weekend (NEW)
March 31; 7:30 p.m.; Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
This event features leading Wall Street Journal columnists in a two-partdiscussion about Japanese style. Auto columnist Dan Neil explores automotiveand industrial design in Japan and its connection to Japanese aesthetics andculture, old and new. Wine columnist Lettie Teague and Rick Smith, proprietorof New York City’s only all-sake store, engage in a lively discussion about theparallels between great wine and great sake with a sake-tasting to follow.Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with The Wall Street Journal.

Talking Tech with The Wall Street Journal (NEW)
April 1; 6:30 p.m.; Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
In a candid conversation with Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journalpersonal technology columnist, Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO, andPresident of Sony Corporation, discusses where consumer technology isheading—the smartphone explosion, the rise of e-readers and tablets, and thetransformation of TV technology and programming. They will also address how theJapanese and the US technology markets differ, as well as what they may have incommon. Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with The Wall StreetJournal.

Beautiful Words, Beautiful Writing
April 5; 4:00 p.m.; New York Public Library; Bloomingdale Branch; 150 West100th Street
Kids ages 12–18 are invited to transform their words into art with the help ofmaster calligrapher Elinor Holland. Materials will be provided. Presented byThe New York Public Library.

j-CATION 2011: Beyond Cute (NEW)
April 9; 11:00 a.m.; Japan Society
AN ALL-DAY ADVENTURE ABOVE AND BEYOND JAPAN'S KAWAII CULTURE. JapanSociety's second annual j-CATION open house festival shatters preconceptionsabout Japan's kawaii (cute) culture and blasts New Yorkers into a newera of Japanese ideas and imagination. j-CATION 2011 promises some of the mostrecent, radical and wondrous trends in Japan today: extreme fashion,interactive art, boundary-crossing cinema, spectacular live music,sophisticated design, bodacious body art, crazy crafts and even a high stakesJapanese-style game show. Rocketing off from Japan Society’s spring exhibition ByeBye Kitty!!!, j-CATION 2011 gives you a glimpse of Japan Society's galaxyof offerings in film, performance, installation, workshops, talks, languagelessons, family-friendly fare, food, fun and more. Presented by Japan Society.


EXHIBITIONS

On Becoming an Artist: Isamu Noguchi and His Contemporaries, 1922–1960
November 17, 2010–April 24, 2011; The Noguchi Museum
Marking the 25th anniversary of The Noguchi Museum, this exhibition documentsand illustrates Noguchi’s artistic relationships with a diverse group ofcreative individuals, including John Cage, Frida Kahlo, Martha Graham, LouisKahn, and many others. Related “Second Sundays” programs at the museum willtake place on March 13 at 3:00 p.m. (a talk led by James Oles, author of Southof the Border) and April 10 at 3:00 p.m. (INtersections, an artist-led tourof the museum with Cary Leibowitz). Presented by The Noguchi Museum.

Graceful Perseverance
February 2–May 1; Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden presents an exhibition of bonsai selected from its C.V.Starr Bonsai Museum, one of the finest and largest collections in the world.The plants on view represent trees that have adapted to extremely ruggedmountainous conditions, their uncommon, poetic forms taking shape over hundredsof years of survival in inhospitable environments. Special interpretation willguide visitors through the practice of bonsai training, which has been amongJapan’s most revered art forms for thousands of years. Presented by BrooklynBotanic Garden.

Bye-Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art
March 18–June 12, 2011; Japan Society
Curated by David Elliott, former director of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, thisgroundbreaking exhibition features 16 artists who reject the outworn narrativesof cuteness and infantilism fashionable in Western presentations of Japanesecontemporary art. Melding traditional themes with radical perceptions of thepresent, they create uncompromising—sometimes unsettling—works that challengethe social and political conditions of their times. Presented by Japan Society.

Asian Contemporary Art Week
March 21–31; various locations
Asian Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) connects leading New York galleries andmuseums in a citywide event of public programs, exhibitions, receptions,lectures, artist conversations, performances, and more. In 2011, the weekincludes a number of exhibitions and lectures of Japanese art. Presented byAsian Contemporary Art Consortium in association with Asia Society.

Macy’s Flower Show: Towers of Flowers (NEW)
March 27-April 10; Macy’s Herald Square
Step into Towers of Flowers and discover a magical world of floralarchitecture, magnificent landscapes, and specialty gardens. Take a guided tourwhere you can learn all about the special Japanese Garden. And don’t missMacy’s Bouquet of the Day—a series of new masterpieces from America’s topflorists, including Kenji Takenaka. The show is unveiled on March 27 at 11:00a.m. with a special performance by the “Thunder Drummers” of the New York SuwaTaiko Association. Presented by Macy’s.

Brush: Recent Calligraphy by Masako Inkyo (NEW)
April 1–June 19; Japan Society
Masako Inkyo, Japan Society’s calligraphy instructor and official shodo artistfor the Nissan Infiniti, presents a show of recent work in contemporary andtraditional styles which juxtaposes exquisite passages from classic literatureand Buddhist texts with boldly brushed semi-abstract compositions. Presented byJapan Society.


FREE CARNEGIE HALL NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERTS
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute will present four free NeighborhoodConcerts throughout New York City as part of JapanNYC. The series willinclude free performances in neighborhood venues by:

• Shamisen players Yutaka Oyama & Masahiro Nitta—March 26 at 3:00 p.m. Abrons Art Center at Henry Street Settlement House in Manhattan
   
• Taiko drumming group Soh Daiko—March 27 at 2:00 p.m. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts in Brooklyn
   
• Line C3 Percussion Group in a program of works by Tokyo-based composers and New York composers influenced by Japan—April 2 at 8:00 p.m. LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in Queens
   
• Taiko drumming group Soh Daiko—April 9 at 8:00 p.m. Lehman Stages at Lehman College in the Bronx

* * * *

JapanNYC Lead Sponsors are EpsonCorporation; Mizuho Securities USA Inc.; Nomura Holding America Inc. and NomuraAmerica Foundation; Kotaro ONO, The Chairman of The ONO Group; ROHM Co., Ltd.and Rohm Music Foundation; Sony Corporation; and Yoko Nagae Ceschina.

Supporting Sponsors are Deloitte LLP; Mitsubishi International Corporation;Suntory Holdings Limited and Suntory Hall; Takeda Pharmaceutical CompanyLimited; Toshiba Corporation; and Toyota.

With additional funding from Aladdin Capital Holdings LLC; Asian CulturalCouncil; The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.; GWFF USA Inc.; ITOCHUInternational Inc.; J.C.C. Fund of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce andIndustry of New York; Kawasaki Good Times Foundation; The NY Mets Foundation;Nihon Unisys, Ltd.; Nippon Express Foundation, Inc.; Nippon Life InsuranceCompany; Hiroko Onoyama and Ken Sugawara; Seiko Instruments Inc.; Subaru ofAmerica, Inc.; and Sumitomo Corporation of America Foundation.

With special thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts; the Ministry ofForeign Affairs of Japan; the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan; JapanTourism Agency; Japan National Tourism Organization; the Japan Foundation; andthe Consulate-General of Japan in New York.

The Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series is sponsored by Target.

The West Coast edition of the festival—JapanOC—is presented with thesupport of South Coast Plaza.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Continental Airlines is the Official Airline of Carnegie Hall.