Open House Series ✖︎ Fumi Tanakadate
Tuesday, July 2nd 2:30PM: Share & Discussion
Fumi Tanakadate
​Fumi Tanakadate is a versatile music artist, specializing in piano, Japanese percussion and bamboo flute, who has a unique combination of an expertise in European Classical music and a background in traditional folk dance and music from Japan. Fumi studied and worked extensively with Kaoru Watanabe, performing at such venues as Joe’s Pub, National Sawdust, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, BAM, Pioneer Works, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the Rubin Museum of Art, Super Deluxe in Tokyo, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan and at PASIC, Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Fumi has also collaborated with Shane Shanahan of the Silkroad Ensemble, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Chieko Kojima and Yuta Sumiyoshi of KODO, Alicia Hall Moran, Sonoko Kawahara (theatre director), Parijat Desai (dancer), Garrett Fisher (composer), Satoshi Takeishi, Kiyohiko Semba, Ying-Chieh Wang, Woonjung Sim, and Niles Luther.
Fumi currently teaches at Wesleyan University and serves as the primary instructor at Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center, giving classes and educational workshops at local schools and colleges. She has also taught at North American Taiko Conference, East Coast Taiko Conference, and European Taiko Conference.
As a classical pianist, Fumi has performed throughout Japan, tri-state area, Austria, and Spain. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University and a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music.
About Open House Series
Imagine the resonant beats of the Taiko (Japanese drum), the haunting melodies of the Nohkan (Japanese bamboo flute), and the Shinobue (another type of Japanese bamboo flute).
These sounds evoke the rich tapestry of Japanese culture: the traditional theater of Noh and Kabuki, the lively energy of Matsuri (festivals), the serene tranquility of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, the indomitable spirit of the samurai, the ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms, the spiritual majesty of Mt. Fuji, and the wabi-sabi aesthetic of the tea ceremony.
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But what if these distinctively Japanese sounds could transcend their origins and blend into another world?
In this open house series, Fumi Tanakadate, a practitioner of Taiko, Shinobue, Nohkan, and piano, will explore the endless possibilities of these traditional Japanese instruments both within and outside their cultural context.
Through storytelling, composition, and improvisation, Fumi, joined by special guest Ryoko Seta, will integrate these sounds with the piano, one of the leading instruments of Western music, creating a unique and innovative musical experience.
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Join us as we journey through this captivating fusion of cultures and sounds.
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For our Share and Discussion, we invite the audience to actively participate in a conversation about the piece and explore new possibilities for the work. Your participation is key to the event and the future of the project!