Koji Fukumaru: Figless II for vibraphone, viola and cello (2022)

Koji Fukumaru: MFJ Commission for vibraphone, viola, cello, piano and accordion (2023)

Mayuko Kawasaki: Cicada's Wings, weaving song for flute and koto (2022)

Mayuko Kawasaki: MFJ Commission for baritone saxophone, violin, viola and cello (2023)

Chiharu Wakabayashi: Dark Horse Ⅴ for accordion solo (revised 2022)

Chiharu Wakabayashi: tree・wood・forest……TRI-ODE for viola, cello and contrabass (2023)

For its Festival 2024 New York, the 49th Season, and Ninth Artist Residency, Music From Japan (MFJ) is delighted to present two concerts at Scandinavia House’s Volvo Hall in Manhattan – one curated by Koichi Nishi and another showcasing the work of three commissioned composers. On Saturday, March 9, “Japanese Contemporary Music: Past and Present” will feature six pieces representing over a century of Japanese music, preceded by a lecture titled “Japanese Contemporary Music: Its History and Current State” from Mr. Nishi (a prominent music writer and concert producer). On Sunday, March 10, “Current Sounds Japan IV” will introduce Chiharu Wakabayashi, Mayuko Kawasaki and Koji Fukumaru, three dynamic Japanese composers working today. Each of these artists will contribute two pieces – one from their body of work and the other newly commissioned by MFJ for this occasion. As usual, MFJ’s concert programs will be supplemented by educational lectures and forums with the featured composers and curators, alongside New York-based composers, scholars, critics and musicians.