Tag ‘Kodo Village’
2017 Kodo Group Portrait
Yesterday the Kodo Group gathered in the rehearsal hall at Kodo Village for a 2017 group portrait.
We kindly ask for your continued support throughout the year ahead.
“New Year’s Mochi Making at Kodo Village” by Shingo Kawamura
Jan. 14, 2017
New Year’s Mochi Making at Kodo Village
As you can see, Kodo Village is covered in deep snow and has been since we returned from our winter vacation.
Despite the cold conditions, we are all keeping well!
Today we enjoyed one of Kodo Village’s annual events: mochi making.
Mochi is a traditional Japanese pounded rice cake.
The young members did a lot of the rice pounding and the village was buzzing as everyone excitedly enjoyed the freshly made mochi.
This Japanese soul food gave us all a boost to start the new year.
On behalf of Kodo, I will take this opportunity to ask all of you for your continued encouragement throughout the new year ahead!
“The Young Ones, Back in Action” by Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga
The Young Ones, Back in Action
Happy New Year, everyone!
Kodo’s young members, myself included, got back into action early on this year with a live-in rehearsal period from Jan. 4.
A new year is a new start, so we planned this rehearsal period with that in mind.
We practised core pieces that Kodo has performed since its early days, such as “Miyake” and “Yatai-bayashi,” under the instruction of Kodo’s veteran members.
Through these sessions, we also wanted to explore some new pathways. So we pooled and shared ideas and compositions, then worked together to create new sounds and pieces.
We were the only ones at Kodo Village and every day we made new discoveries and realizations. It was an opportunity for us all to reaffirm just how lucky we are to have a place where we can create sound all day long.
In 2017, we have all set our sights on new heights!
We hope you’ll cheer us on!
Kodo’s Last Day of Work for 2017
Dec. 27 was our last day of work for 2016.
We celebrated Kodo’s 35th anniversary in 2016, which was a year filled with new encounters around the world and exciting new challenges. We pushed ourselves to discover brand new possibilities in artistic expression. In this milestone year, we also made a giant leap towards the next era of our group.
In 2017, we look forward to sharing performances with you all that we hope will move you to the very core.
Thank you all for your continued support.
Best wishes from all of us for a happy, healthy new year.
Kodo members gather in the Kodo Village Dining Hall on the last day of work for 2017
So Kuramoto Visits Kodo Village
So Kuramoto Visits Kodo Village
On Oct. 4, Mr. So Kuramoto, a Japanese scriptwriter, playwright, and director, visited Kodo Village with his family. It was a fresh, sunny autumn day on Sado Island. Our visitors watched Yosuke Oda play o-daiko, the big drum, in our rehearsal hall. Then they went and observed the apprentices practising tea ceremony at our traditional homestead, Izumi-tei. Next, they had a look around our nearby facilities, Sado Island Taiko Centre and Fukaura Schoolhouse, before they traveled over to Kodo Apprentice Centre where they watched Yoshikazu Fujimoto lead the apprentices through a taiko practice session.
Mr. Kuramoto has presented “Furano Juku” workshops for years in Hokkaido, where he helps actors and scenario writers to cultivate their skills. He asked the apprentices many questions about their life at the Apprentice Centre, their training, and their thoughts and hopes. Everyone enjoyed this fun opportunity for exchange.
The apprentices sang a lively folksong at the end of this special visit.
“Recording Session for ‘Cross Transit'” by Yoshie Abe
Recording Session for “Cross Transit”
Recently I was given the opportunity to take part in the recording of music for a contemporary dance production called “Cross Transit.” The music director Hiroaki Yokoyama came all the way to Sado for the recording with me! Mr. Yokoyama is such a talented person who has provided music to so many different artists.
These photos show our recording sessions at Kodo Village in the rehearsal hall. Most of the Kodo members are away on tour, so I was lucky to have the whole space to myself for this recording.
We layered my vocals to create depth, recorded my voice doing sound effects and animal sounds, and I spoke lines from a script. It was unlike any recording I have ever done before and it was… interesting! I look forward to seeing how it will turn out with the touch of Mr. Yokoyama’s magic.
I hope you will all go along to see the performance.
Cross Transit
http://www.akikokitamura.com/crosstransit/en/index.html
Hiroaki Yokoyama, Sound Director (Profile courtesy of Cross Transit website)
He was born in Texas, U.S.A. and spent his childhood in the Netherlands.
During university, he toured with many artists as an assisting member and composed music for TV commercials, films, and animations.
He composes, arranges, and produces music for many artists including YUKI, MISIA, JUJU, Yuko Ando, and Kaera Kimura.
He has toured and played for Noriyuki Makihara, miwa, and Gen Hoshino on keyboard.
He currently is a member of Rendez-vous Band directed by Keiichi Sokabe and L.E.D.
Thank You for Joining Us for Earth Celebration 2016!
Thank You for Joining Us on Sado Island for Earth Celebration 2016
[EC 2016] “Rehearsals for ‘Kodo Village Concert'” by Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga
Rehearsals for “Kodo Village Concert”
We have returned to Sado Island after our Kodo 35th Anniversary Concerts at Suntory Hall and leapt straight into rehearsals at Kodo Village with the EC 2016 guest artists from Vietnam! We are collaborating to make new pieces together to perform at Kodo Village Concert on Aug. 26.
We are so curious about each other’s culture and music.
The current atmosphere in the Kodo Rehearsal Hall is both harmonious and electric!
We look forward to sharing this feel-good exchange and collaboration with you all soon at EC.
We are waiting for you all on Sado Island! See you soon!
Earth Celebration 2016
Aug. 26 (Fri)–28 (Sun), 2016
Sado Island, Niigata
Mr. Robert Lepage Visits Kodo Village
Mr. Robert Lepage Visits Kodo Village
We had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Robert Lepage to Kodo Village the other day. He is an actor and stage director who is renowned for his creative work directing productions such as Cirque du Soleil’s KA and TOTEM.
Taiko Experience at Sado Island Taiko Centre
Many of Kodo’s performers and staff are big fans of his work, and we are very happy to hear that he has been a fan of Kodo for many years as well!
We are truly thankful for this lovely encounter.
In the Dining Hall at Kodo Village on June 30, 2016 (From left: Yui Kawamoto, Takao Aoki, Mr. Robert Lepage, Mr. Christian Garon, Atsushi Sugano)
United States of America Ambassador to Japan Visits Kodo Village
United States of America Ambassador to Japan Visits Kodo Village
The United States of America Ambassador to Japan, Her Excellency Ms. Caroline Kennedy, came to Sado Island this past weekend to take part in an outdoor sports event called “Sea to Summit.” While she was on Sado, she made time in her schedule to visit us at Kodo Village.
Most of the Kodo members are currently away on tour or for special projects, so it was Kodo member Yoshie Abe and all 19 of the current Kodo apprentices who were on stand-by to warmly welcome Ambassador Kennedy to the Kodo rehearsal hall.
The apprentices gave a very energetic performance for Ambassador Kennedy, who then took part in a taiko experience session and tried her hand at a wide range of drums. Lastly, everyone played a piece together and then we showed Ambassador Kennedy around Kodo Village.
Kodo enjoys touring in the USA every two years and it is such an honor for us to spend time in Japan with diplomats from the USA, too.
Ambassador Kennedy, thank you very much for coming to visit us. We had a wonderful time with you at Kodo Village. We look forward to visiting the USA on tour again next year.
