Musical Bridges Around the World is proud to report its eighth successful segment of Kids to Concerts during the 18th season! This segment brought us to five more San Antonio Elementary schools on April 11-12, 2016: Woodstone, Andrew Briscoe, Collins Garden, Neal and Eleanor Kolitz Hebrew Language Academy.
Guest artists included: Japanese Koto and Shamisen player Sumie Kaneko, who has been recognized as a pioneer of uniquely chromatic instrumentation; Kaoru Watanabe, a New York based composer and musician who specializes in the Japanese shinobue flutes and taiko drums; and Taiko artist Kenny Endo. The trio are deeply rooted in Japanese tradition and are virtuosos in Western classical, jazz and world music. The program included selections of traditional Japanese music and it’s modern journey around the world.
Teachers and students praised the interactive program. One teacher at Woodstone Elementary said, “I wanted to tell you personally how much our students enjoyed the wonderful performance this morning. My students have been anticipating the arrival of your performers for the past week. They were delighted and in awe as they listened to the beautiful music of Japan this morning. Thank you and your benefactors for providing this program that allowed my students the opportunity they had this morning. Music is truly a universal language and thank you again for sharing this wonderful gift with my students. The concert is not something they will soon forget.” MBAW would like to thank all of its generous sponsors for this program including: San Antonio City Council Project Funds, The Brown Foundation, Inc., HEB, Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, Rackspace, San Antonio Area Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.