Friday, October 5, 7:30 PM — Followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception 

Listen to Hidejiro Honjoh, young shamisen prodigy and disciple of Hidetaro Honjoh, create this traditional instrument's 21st-century voice in an evening featuring living composers from the U.S. and Japan. Joined by members of the most sought-after contemporary music group International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Hidejiro delivers three world premieres composed by Grammy-nominee Vijay Iyer, Nathan Davis and Yu Kuwabara. The program also includes pieces by Yuji Takahashi and Dai Fujikura, along with the U.S. premiere of the full score of Scott Johnson's Up and Back for shamisen, electric guitar, cello and piano. 

Program:
Nathan Davis: New Work for shamisen and dulcimer
Yu Kuwabara: New Work for shamisen and bassoon
Yuji Takahashi: Yuugao no le for shamisen and piano
Vijay Iyer: New Work for solo shamisen
Dai Fujikura: neo for solo shamisen
Scott Johnson: Up and Back for shamisen, electric guitar, piano, and cello

Piano: Phyllis Chen
Dulcimer/percussion: Nathan Davis
Bassoon: Rebekah Heller
Cello: Katinka Kleijn
Electric Guitar: Scott Johnson

Tickets: $38/$30 members

Tickets can be purchased online, or by visiting/calling the Box Office at (212) 715-1258.

Hidejiro x ICE: Shamisen Evolution is supported by The Asahi Shimbun Foundation. 

Performances and commissioning activities during the 2018-19 concert season are made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Jerome Foundation, A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, Amphion Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Pacific Harmony Foundation, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, The Casement Fund, BMI Foundation, as well as public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Yamaha Artist Services New York is the exclusive piano provider for ICE.