A few members from Kotori Kai Shamisen School will participate in this year’s Three Nations Event.

It’s a FREE event, but tickets are available at the link.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stringed-instruments-and-flutes-of-three-nations-china-japan-and-korea-tickets-861120734297?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

The Chinese, Japanese and Korean communities in Portland, Oregon are cooperating once again to bring this free musical performance to the larger Oregon community. Performances will feature traditional music from the three nations. Our goals are to unite and support the three communities and to introduce and share the music, instruments and cultures of China, Japan and Korea.

This year's event will feature: (1) Ms. Lu Wen, who studied the Chinese “Guzheng” in both China and the U.S. and is the founder of Lulu Guzheng Studio. She will team with Mr. Qingquan Kong, who began playing the Chinese flute at the age of nine and has been active in the Chinese music community in Portland for more than 40 years. (2) Ms. Yumi Torimaru, the founder and artistic director of the Japanese instrumental group Takohachi, will perform on the Japanese "Shamisen" and ”Shinobue" with members of Takohachi. (3) Ms. Doyeon Lim, a skilled musician and founder of Korean Music Institute of Oregon, will showcase both the traditional and modified (more modern) versions of the Korean “Gayageum.”

This event is the ninth in a series that began years ago with Strings of Three Nations (2015), followed by Dances of Three Nations (2016), Drums of Three Nations (2017), Voices of Three Nations (2018), Flutes of Three Nations (2019), Mask Dances of Three Nations (2020), Dances of Three Nations (2022), and Children’s Choirs of Three Nations (2023). We hope you will join us this year!

The idea for this series of performances originated in 2015 with officials from the Oregon China Council, the Consular Office of Japan in Portland, and the Honorary Consulate for the Republic of Korea in Portland. In a joint statement at that initial meeting, the group stated, “We want to show that, despite the political tensions in many parts of the world today, our respective communities in Portland serve as a model of cooperation and friendship. In this spirit, we are delighted to share an afternoon of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures with the citizens of Oregon.”

Please join us for this exciting event!

Jin Lan, President, Oregon China Council

Yuzo Yoshioka, Consul General, Consular Office of Japan in Portland

Greg Caldwell, Former Honorary Consul for the Republic of Korea