Midtown Concerts presents Eurasia Consort: Music of the Buddhist Paradise

• Tomoko Sugawara, kugo (harp)
• Rex Benincasa, hokyo (glockenspiel) & percussion
• Ling Tang, dance

In 1900, manuscripts were discovered in the caves of Dunhuang, northwest China. The manuscripts include religious, historical, mathematical, and musical documents. The extraordinary trove of music and dance manuscripts were created during the Tang Dynasty (7th–19th C.). During the last century, scholars from Japan, China, and England have started to transcribe them into modern notations. This program features Tang music by Chinese scholar Chen Yingshi, including dance music from the Sogdian people and court music.

The kugo was made in 2008 and the hokyo was made in 2022. Both are replicas of instruments found in the Japanese emperor's treasure house, Shosoin.

About The Eurasia Consort

Eurasia Consort would like to introduce some ancient and fascinating East Asian music. This Eastern repertoire is poorly known, both East and West. We now hope it may find its rightful place in the Early Far Eastern canon of music. We like to revive ancient music using manuscripts with instruments that survive in the Emperor's Treasury House, Shosoin, Japan.

Tomoko Sugawara, kugo (ancient Angular harp) |
August Denhard, lute |
Rex Benincasa, hokyo (metallophone), drum |
gamin, piri (bamboo oboe), seanghwang (mouth-organ) |
James Nyoraku Schlefer, shakuhachi (bamboo vertical flute)

About Midtown Concerts

https://www.gemsny.org/midtown-concerts

About Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS)

https://gemsny.org/

About Tomoko Sugawara, kugo (harp)

Tomoko Sugawara studied harp at Tokyo University of the Arts and cultural history at Seijo University. She enjoys playing harps from the East and West, like the kugo, Renaissance harp, and Baroque triple harp.

About Rex Benincasa, hokyo (glockenspiel) & percussion

Rex Benincasa is a world music specialist percussionist, including the ancient Asian glockenspiel, hokyo.

About Ling Tang, dance

https://www.ling-tang.com/