Pakistani, Japanese artists collaborate for NIHON

Japanese Embassy celebrates 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations

ISLAMABAD: The Japanese Embassy in collaboration with the Islamabad Art Festival, 2019 organised a joint music performance of Pakistani and Japanese artistes titled ‘NIHON Cultural Performance’ at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) auditorium on Sunday.

The Japanese musicians known as 'The Trio Zipang' along with Pakistani artistes greatly entertained the audience and won great applause.

The Trio Zipang band members include Takanabe, the percussionist; Tabata, the saxophone player and Kitagawa, the pianist. The trio performed with Pakistani musicians Salman Adil and Sheri Bakshi and enthralled the audience.

While welcoming the Japanese musicians to Pakistan, Japanese Embassy Charge d' Affaires Yusuke Shindo, in his opening remarks said that the Japanese embassy in Pakistan has always strived to share Japanese culture with Pakistani people as we believe that sharing one's culture brings people together.

He said Japan and Pakistan share a friendly bond, which has strengthened over the years Shindo greatly appreciated the visiting Japanese and the Pakistani artistes for their collaboration to create beautiful melodies for the audience.

He said that in our pursuit of enhancing this bond of friendship between the two nations, in 2022, the Japanese embassy will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan.  He said, "We are working on planning a vast variety of Japanese cultural events and activities to mark this auspicious occasion."

He said that today’s programme is an amalgamation and fusion of various genres of Japanese music ranging from classic, jazz, J-pop and Pakistani music. Japanese Consulate Deputy Counsel General Ashida Kastsunori also sang Urdu, Punjabi and Japanese songs on the occasion and got big applause from the audience at the PNCA auditorium.

Takanabe is a percussionist in the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra since 1996 and a lecturer of Osaka College of Music and Yuhigaoka High School. Takanabe appears on more than a hundred stages a year, such as guest appearances in different orchestras, studio recordings and adjudicator of national wide contests. He is also an executive member of the Kansai Percussion Association.

Naomi Tabata is an Alto Saxophone player of Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra as well as a lecturer at Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Tokushima Bunri University and Kyoto Horikawa Music High School.

She graduated and earned a Master's degree from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

She was a semi-finalist of the 51st Geneva International Music Competition and the 2nd Adolphe Sax International Competition, 4th prize winner of the 16th Japan Wind and Percussion Competition and Best Teacher Award winner of the 12th Osaka International Music Competition. She also released two albums from Meister Music.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2019.