|
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto, Koto, leader of the Murasaki Ensemble.
A native Japanese-American of Oakland, California, Shirley learned to play the koto as a child, taught by her mother. During WWII, Shirley’s mother was interred with her family in a relocation camp. Shirley’s grandparents encouraged their young daughters to take up the koto to keep their minds occupied in a creative manner. This creative distraction turned into a profession later in Shirley’s mother’s life, as she became a koto instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As a child studying koto, she was greatly influenced by the blind koto master and composer Kimio Eto, who was a protégé of Michio Miyagi, the “father of modern koto music.” The Yo-Yo Ma of koto, Eto had performed with Harry Belafonte, Danny Kaye, Bud Shank, and even with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Meeting the super-star koto master was a memorable highlight of Shirley’s youth. In addition, the notable koto players Katsuko Chikushi, Kazue Kudo, Tomoko Sunazaki, June Kuramoto, and Kazue and Tadao Sawai were also inspirational forces on Shirley’s musical journey.
In 1976, Shirley received her “Shihan” degree (instructor’s license) with “Yushusho” (highest) honors from the Chikushi School in Fukuoka, Japan, and her "Dai Shihan" Master’s degree from the same school in 2000 for her mastery of the koto.
- “The koto is an extremely versatile instrument,” says Shirley. “Though it seems limited and simple in its nature, it’s possible to extract a myriad of textures and sounds through various techniques and by incorporating the body of the instrument itself. But the koto is deceiving. It looks easy to play, but it really takes years of practice to be able to produce a high- quality and consistent sound.”
- When asked who her jazz influences are, Shirley states, “I must confess my mentors in jazz are the fantastic musicians in the Murasaki Ensemble: Vince Delgado, “it’s tough to keep up with his wild rhythms from Latin to Western to Middle Eastern”; Jeff Massanari, guitarist, “so much fun, with his musical quotes and thoughtful interpretations”; Matt Eakle, flutist, “able to get sounds not ‘normal’ for flute…even makes it sound like a Japanese shakuhachi!”; and Alex Baum, bassist, “quirky, and as fun to watch as he is to listen to!”. “These guys are not well known, but they should be!” The music of the Murasaki Ensemble transcends ethnic boundaries, and strives to encompass various world cultures to produce a subtle harmony of sounds.
- In addition to leading the Murasaki Ensemble, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto has performed professionally with the following roster of notable musicians:
- Grammy nominated mandolinist David Grisman
- Grammy nominated bluegrass vocalist/composer Laurie Lewis
- Ethiopian musical artist Elias Negash
- Latin jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo
- under the direction of Oscar-winning cinematic composer Maurice Jarre
- The Sacramento Symphony conducted by Geoffrey Simon
- The Marin Symphony, conducted by Gary Sheldon
- Poet and musician Avotcja
- Shakuhachi masters Yoshio Kurahashi, Shigeo Tachibana and John Kaizan Neptune
- In addition, Shirley's koto mastery has enhanced various advertisement productions for corporate companies including Chevron, Pringles, FusionOne, and Yahoo.com shown during a Super Bowl.
A dedicated musician for over forty years, Shirley strives to involve diverse genres of art and musical performance into the many entertainment productions she finds herself involved with. In 1998, Shirley began teaching koto at the University of California, Berkeley. Also a private teacher for thirty years, the student performances she has produced, in addition to the koto, are presented with storytelling, poetry, hip-hop, modern dance and taiko drums.
|
”Shirley is a motivator. She inspires students of the koto to learn more and try more.”
Bonnie Wade, Professor of Music, UC Berkeley
|
|
“I am truly honored and privileged to know Shirley for so many years. Her koto playing and energy for constant creativity is inspirational to me;. Her spirit and soul touches me deeply. I am forever grateful to her for her friendship and her sharing of musical knowledge and philosophies with me to help me grow as a musician and composer but most important as a person. Thank you, Shirley, and my best to you always!”
June Kuramoto
Hiroshima
|
|
