Earth Celebration » Event Info

8/23（Sun）Tonight’s Shiroyama Concert

ec-press — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 07:30:13 +0000

Tonight’s Shiroyama Concert,”Shukusai/Celebration”, will go on as scheduled! Seating for the concert will begin at 5:15. If you have a entrance order color card please go to Kisaki Shrine at the time written on the card to reserve your place in line. We hope you enjoy tonight’s show!

8/22（Sat）Tonight’s Shiroyama Concert

ec-press — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 07:30:02 +0000

Tonight’s Shiroyama Concert,”Honeymoon”, will go on as scheduled! Seating for the concert will begin at 5:15. If you have a entrance order color card please go to Kisaki Shrine at the time written on the card to reserve your place in line. We hope you enjoy tonight’s show!

8/21（Fri）Tonight’s Shiroyama Concert

ec-press — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 05:52:50 +0000

Tonight’s Shiroyama Concert,”Kodo Night”, will go on as scheduled! Seating for the concert will begin at 5:15. If you have a entrance order color card please go to Kisaki Shrine at the time written on the card to reserve your place in line. We hope you enjoy tonight’s show!

Getting Ready for Earth Celebration：Mitsuru Ishizuka

ec-press — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:00:31 +0000

Earth Celebration is about to begin and we are rehearsing with all our might!　
Usually we are all off on different projects and tours, so summer is always a special time of year for us because we all come together at the Kodo Village Rehearsal Hall to create sound together, work hard together, and perform on the same stage.
This year will be the last EC that centers around the Shiroyama Concerts, so while it’s sad to see the end of an era, it’s all the more reason to give it our all! We hope you all come and have a ball with us! I hope we can make EC 2015 a special turning point that leads to bright new horizons!
See you all at Shiroyama Park!

Invitation to “Yukiai—Kiyohime”: Chieko Kojima

ec-press — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 08:00:31 +0000

“Yukiai—Kiyohime” will be presented on the last day of Earth Celebration, August 23 starting at 2PM at Ayusu Kaikan. This year, the photo book on Kiyohime has been published and the DVD “Tale of Kiyohime” is also underway. I would like to guide you through the unveiled world of Kiyohime at this Earth Celebration.

The original Kiyohime members are Shusuke Kimura on fue and shamisen, Shingo Ikegami on koto, Hiromi Nishida on violin and a percussionist Ayuko Ikeda. For this Earth Celebration, we have a special guest, Suna Pak who plays kayagum, the Korean harp. The sound of kayagum echoes along with Kiyohime’s emotion, and will touch the listeners’ hearts deeply.

In addition, the Iwami Kagura’s Serpent Dance by Taizo Kobayashi, who performs at the Special Fringe events on the second day of EC, will also join us to make this performance a once-in-a-lifetime event. I recently visited Kobayashi’s mask studio at Yunotsu, Shimane and rehearsed with him. He is getting ready for his performance on Sado Island.

The signature piece “Hanahachijo” will be performed at the climax of the story, and I will express Kiyohime’s feeling through beating the drum, just as Kiyohime hit the bell in the original tale.

I look forward to seeing you at the performance!

Also the photo exhibition “Kiyohime on Sado Island” will be held at Hiyoriyama Cafe in the town of Ogi during Earth Celebration. Please enjoy this portrayal of Kiyohime‘s journey through the changing seasons on Sado Island.

Pictures beaten by the wind and rain：Kenta Nakagome（Kodo）

ec-press — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 05:30:34 +0000

Seitaro Kuroda × Tatsuya Nakamura × Kenta Nakagome
Towards the Live Painting Performance “Flame”

This year’s Earth Celebration welcomes Kuroda Seitaro for the first time in about 27 years. There was a time in the 1980s when Kuroda visited Sado frequently in the 1980s. Apparently at the time, he rented an abandoned school building near Kodo Village and created his own studio there, calling it Gago.

Even today, some murals he painted decades ago remain on some of the walls of the villages. If you can catch a glimpse of these works that have been touched by time and the elements, you will feel the energy of those paintings well up in your heart.

Special Fringe Info

ec-press — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 02:49:51 +0000

Aug. 22（Sat）　

14：25〜　Yasukazu Kano & Takafumi Imaizumi LIVE［Venue：Ogi Gym］
Enjoy the breezy sounds of bamboo flute and guitar when this duo play original songs and famous tunes from all over, with some percussion solos also thrown in the mix.

15：00～　Iwami Kagura［Venue：Ogi Gym］
Iwami Kagura Yunotsu Maiko Company
Iwami Kagura, a tradition in western Shimane prefecture and northwest Hiroshima prefecture, is known for its rhythmic, passionate music and dance, and is embraced by the young and old alike in its home regions. This year for the we have invited the Iwami Kagura Yu no Mai company to perform. This company directed the “Snake Dance” for “Kodo One Earth Tour ~ Mystery.” The company will perform three pieces. Among the Kodo members who attended rehearsals in Sado, Yosuke Kusa has been selected to appear in the snake dance.

20：30～　Ogi Okesa［Venue：Ogi Honmachi Street］
Following the Shiroyama Concerts, you will be greeted by lively music. Feel free to follow along and join in the circle dancing!

Aug. 23（Sun）

11：00～　Miyake Taiko［Venue：Ogi Gym］
The highlight of Earth Celebration, Miyake Taiko, performs on the Fringe stage this year again!

12：15～　Seitaro Kuroda × Tatsuya Nakamura ×Kenta Nakagome (Kodo)
“Live Painting Performance”［Venue：Ogi Gym］
Last December Kenta Nakagome (Kodo) encountered a long-admired artist Seitaro Kurota for a conversation interview in Coyote magazine. Now, this special performance was designed as a continuation of that meeting. Seitaro Kuroda, who participated in live painting performances in the early days of Earth Celebration, teams up with charismatic Tatsuya Nakamura, former drummer of Blankey Jet City, and Kenta Nakagome for the first ever improvisation session by this trio!

14：15～　Sado Performing Arts　［Venue：Ogi Gym and others］
Featuring Minami Katabe On Taiko and others, with even a “kadozuke” demonstration around the town of Ogi.

21：30～　Yoi no Yunzuru［Venue：Ogi Port Park］
Don’t miss the finale of Earth Celebration this year with Yoi no Yunzuru. Join the peaceful dancing by torch light.
Dance : Chieko Kojima（Kodo）Music：Shunsuke Kimura, Hiromi Nishida, Suna Pak, Ayuko Ikeda

＊There is a slight chance of changes to the schedule due to the event flow.

EC Theatre “Wadaiko Theatre Fujimotomida 2015” rehearses on Sado

ec-press — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:00:07 +0000

Kazuaki Tomida has arrived on Sado to begin rehearsing for his performances at EC Theatre.

Upon his arrival, he began creating the elements to design the theatre. After discussing what to write, Yoshikazu Fujimoto first drew a picture and Tomida then wrote the interseting text. The completed curtain will greet audiences on the day of the performance.

Rehearsals began next morning.

“Fujimotomida” made its debut performance last year at Tiara Koto in Tokyo. It’s hard to tell where their discussion ends and their performance begins… Their earnestness is impenetrable as they rehearse. And their rehearsals are extremely serious.

Tomida states, “I’ve chosen my favorites of Yoshikazu-san’s pieces” for this performance. With one month to the show, the artists are holding on to every discovery they make.

Follow Kazuaki Tomida’s blog here for more about this rehearsal:
http://uchigumi.blogspot.jp/2015/07/2015.html

Tickets are on sale now! If advanced tickets sell out, there will be no tickets available on the day-of, so don’t delay!

Workshop Registration is closed:

ec-press — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 03:05:15 +0000

All workshop programs at Earth Celebration 2015 have reached capacity, and there are no additional workshops. We are still accepting orders for Shiroyama Concerts, EC theatres, Seminar, Explore & Experience Sado Island Programs and Pre-events. Some of these events have limited space, so please place your order sooner.

“My Return to Earth Celebration after 18 Years” Leonard Eto, Shiroyama Concert Guest

ec-press — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 03:30:21 +0000

Long time no see! And it’s nice to meet you. I’ll be performing at the Earth Celebration for the first time in 18 years.

If I were to personify the Kodo that I was a part of 18 years ago, I’d say Kodo was a young man. In order to pull off the outdoor festival, we compensated for our lack of skill and experience with sheer physical stamina and energy, and I remember learning new modes of expression every year. 18 years ago Suar Agung also performed at the festival. Hearing their sound felt like breathing in the mature scent of an ancient forest. And now, this summer, after 18 years, we will be reunited. Personally I feel less a sense of nostalgia, but rather joy and gratitude at having this new opportunity to share a creative space. Whether as a group or as individuals, reunion amongst artists will no doubt spark a “honeymoon” for new creative relationships. My head is already spinning with images of new sounds being created for the future.