The Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University, with the Music Department and the Center for Ethnomusicology of Columbia, is pleased to announce our Gagaku-Bugaku Classical Japanese Music and Sacred Dance Concert on November 30th, 2006, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture and the start of our new Gagaku-H'gaku curriculum and performance program at Columbia.

Gagaku is the oldest continuous orchestral music in the world today with a history in Japan of more than 1300 years. It is comprised of many musical traditions and influences that traveled the ancient Silk Road from the Middle East through Central Asia, Tibet, China, and Korea, culminating in Japan.

By establishing the first permanent Gagaku training program outside Japan in New York City, America's most varied and active music center, it is our hope to make it possible for young musicians to experience this Japanese tradition deeply and to master one or more of its instruments, as well as to inspire the commissioning of new compositions by and for these young musicians, thereby greatly influencing the future direction of world music. As stated by the Japanese Imperial Household Agency, "Gagaku [is] composed of advanced musical techniques, and has not only had a direct affect on the creation and development of modern-day music, but Gagaku itself also has the potential to develop in many aspects, as a global art form." And as renowned composer Henry Cowell wrote, "it is the most avant-garde music in the world today. I love it."

The new Columbia Gagaku program includes courses on the history of Gagaku, together with private lessons on at least one type of Gagaku wind or string instrument, taught by Visiting Professor Naoko Terauchi of Kobe University, with the aim of forming New York's first Gagaku ensemble. Several concert/workshop events, conducted by artists from Japan, will also take place throughout the year, beginning with the upcoming November concert. Students who qualify may apply for the summer "Gagaku Musical Mentor/Protégé Summer Initiative" to be held in Tokyo.

The concert will be performed by the Ono Gagaku Society, one of the most imminent private organizations dedicated to the preservation of this ancient art form. Based in Tokyo, the Ono Gagaku Society was founded in 1887, making it one of the oldest and most respected associations of its kind.

The celebratory Gagaku-Bugaku performance by the Ono Gagaku Society on November 30th will take place at the Riverside Theatre at Riverside Church (entrance is at 91 Claremont, just north of 120th street between Broadway and Riverside Drive). There will be a Pre-concert Reception from 6:00-7:00pm and the concert will begin at 7:00pm. This event is free and open to the public. For further information contact the Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at 212-854-7403 or email us at medievaljapan@columbia.edu.