Today was the last day of the semester for me at Temple. It’s that time again— time to shake hands with some of those students, saying good luck. I’m usually very proud of my students leaving my classes as better musicians. I wish if I could keep track of their progress, each one of them. […]
For my (past) conducting students Read More »
Fairly recently, I had an opportunity to play the prelude from Bach’s cello suite VI on the violoncello da spalla to a small crowd in a modest suburban church. The pressure was almost non-existent; I’d played some cello duets there in the past and I was already familiar with this sanctuary. Not many classically trained
Selfish self-deprecation Read More »
The last time I fly-fished was probably in 2009— it’s been too long. I do bass fishing every year, but fly fishing has been quite elusive for me. One thing I’m excited about this summer is that I’ll be free from the pressure that hindered me from fly fishing in recent years and that I
She is here. She is here, just sitting right next to me. Next to me, in the cozy flowing air. We exchange neither words nor glances— we are just sharing the moment without being a party of two. Physical proximity is the only thing that seems relevant, and yet, the proximity can’t be more irrelevant.
Looking back at Marlboro Music 2012 Read More »
Writing blogs is, for me, like yapping away with someone. It is storytelling. It is sometimes recording of my own critical thinking, but more often than not, it is a good distraction from unwanted thoughts. It had been procrastination. I just went through a phase where I needed to face those unwanted thoughts and do
The people in my circle think that I’m opinionated. Well, my circle is very small— it really means something when someone tells you in your face that you are opinionated. Not good. I may seem like a dogmatic, inflexible, arrogant, pompous, stubborn and perhaps even prejudiced son of a gun. And I shouldn’t even deny
In March 2005, I organized a Bach ensemble and performed 4 cantatas in a concert in Tokyo. It was a group consists of the supportive and willing members of Bach Collegium Japan and my friends from Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts)— I can say it was an ideal ensemble in the realistic realm, or
Gamut Bach Ensemble Read More »
This country, the United States of America, has given me numerous opportunities to be what I am today: a decent musician (though I do have some doubt about that). It is a blessing to be able to talk about music and occasionally make some music as part of my job, it really is. I wouldn’t
Being Japanese in America Read More »
My fixation on the cello playing stems from my fascination with basso continuo. It’s not that continuo part is extremely important in baroque music — of course it is — but what fascinates me most is how continuo playing can dictate the outcome of a whole performance. The leader of the continuo group is like
The Compleat Violoncellist Read More »
This blog entry isn’t really about ketchup… it’s about vibrato, the intentionally produced pitch pulsation in a musical sound. Why ketchup then? Here’s the story. Recently I saw an image post on facebook by a musician from Germany. It was a picture of a page from a magazine or something, and the page had a
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