Date Composed:2015Composer:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 28, 2015 - Fleck Dance Theatre This is a work song for taiko players. We sing to prepare ourselves and pray for everyone’s health and prosperity. The voice is also an instrument, we use it to imbue our words with extra meaning....
Date Composed:2017Composer:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 18, 2017 The continuous ringing of bells throughout shrines cleanses the space of any unpleasant spirits. Priests use a staff to thoroughly sweep at each corner of the room to fully assure the removal of these spirits. ...
Date Composed:2017Composer:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:April 7, 2017 - Aki Studio Theatre As if tying a know, four men twist and weave to celebrate the half moon. They play on drums that face the four cardinal directions in lunging and sweeping motions passing energy to one another. Loose...
Date Composed:2002Composer:Kiyoshi NagataArrangement:Kiyoshi NagataPremiere Performance:November 9, 2002 - Hart House TheatreRecording Title:Koku CD / 10th Anniversary Concert DVD The introduction and finale of this piece feature improvised solos on the nebuta daiko, a shoulder-worn drum from northern Aomori prefecture. The main body of the song consists of four...
Date Composed:2014Composer:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:Saturday, October 10 - Fleck Dance Theatre A kaleidoscope, which literally means “observation of beautiful forms,” creates dazzling geometric formations of color, shape, and space that changes as you turn the cylinder. Using multiple reflections of beads, pebbles, and pieces of glass, the...
Date Composed:2001Composer:Kiyoshi NagataArrangement:Kiyoshi NagataPremiere Performance:January 25, 2002 - Convocation Hall McMaster UniversityRecording Title:Koku CD This piece is about the unpredictable and sometimes violent moods of mother earth, especially when we do not respect it. ...
Date Composed:1998Composer:Kiyoshi NagataArrangement:Kiyoshi NagataPremiere Performance:November 28, 1998 - Music GalleryRecording Title:Stone Path CD / 10th Anniversary Concert DVD Literally meaning “New Echo” this is a celebratory song about the reneweal of life. This song was composed for the debut concert of Nagata Shachu (then known as...
Date Composed:2007Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 3, 2007 - Strathroy Arts Council This song is sung in the traditional style of women who work in the hot springs, onsen. The music is meant to entertain as well as relax and calm the patrons in the onsen resort. ...
Date Composed:2010Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 5, 2010 - Fleck Dance TheatreRecording Title:Iroha Live Concert DVD YAMABUKI is a deep yellow flower that blooms in late spring. It grows in layers and sometimes its yellow covers an entire hillside. Japanese flutes such as shinobue and shakuhachi are made...
Date Composed:2007Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:December 1, 2007 - Ryerson Theatre My first visit to Okinawa came as a big surprise. It was so different from the rest of Japan. I wrote this song to capture the feeling of the local language and the culture. The words...