Event Details
Dates
23/03/2018 – 23/03/2018
YOSHIDA BROTHERS
Tsugaru Shamisen Concert Tour 2018
Fri 23 March | GALWAY 7.30 – 8.30 pm
Nun’s Island Theatre
Galway
Admission: FREE
Booking required:
091 565886
info@galwayartscentre.ie
As the closing event of the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Ireland, the Embassy of Japan in Ireland is proud to present a series of concerts by the renowned tsugaru shamisen players from Japan, the Yoshida Brothers.
Profile
The Yoshida Brothers were born and bred in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido. Each picked up the shamisen at the tender age of five, and began studying tsugaru shamisen under Takashi Sasaki I in 1990. The shamisen is a traditional Japanese instrument about one metre long which has three strings played using a large pick called a bachi. The tsugaru shamisen was de veloped in the Tsugaru district in Aomori Prefecture, on the northernmost tip of Honshu, the main island of Japan. The tsugaru shamisen has a unique style of play that gives performers room to improvise.
After sweeping prizes at national tsugaru shamisen conventions, the Yoshida Brothers made their major debut in 1999. Their debut album sold over 100,000 copies, an extraordinary figure for a traditional folk music release. They won the “ Traditional Japanese Music Album of The Year” category of the 15th annual Japan Gold Disc Award, as well as the “ 30th Anniversary of Normalization of Japan – China Diplomatic Relations Commemorative Special Prize ”of the 17th Annual Japan Gold Disc Award. As an artistic group whose scope of activities goes way beyond that of traditional Japanese music, the Yoshida Brothers continue to make not only Japan but also the US, Europe, and Asia their stage. It is a great pleasure to welcome them on their first visit to Ireland.
Organised by the Embassy of Japan in Ireland
