Sho Kuon – Past Concerts

Composer and pianist Sho Kuon graduated from Kyushu University (Faculty of Science), in southern part of Japan. When she was eleven, Sho Kuon was attacked by an Akita dog and her shoulders were seriously injured, which left her difficulties of movement in her shoulders and fingers. Over more than twenty years, she has been trying Qigong and other treatment measures to improve her physical problem, and she started composing original works all on her own without any formal musical education. Ever since, Sho Kuon has been endeavoring to develop unique method of piano playing which enables her to express her music world in spite of the shoulder and finger difficulties. One can recognize the effect of this method by listening to the way her fingers touch the keyboards.

In order to achieve ideal sounds best fit to the image of each of her pieces, Sho Kuon pays particular attention to the vibration of the piano string for each sound, and also to the resonance with strings of other sound. Thus she creates unique piano sounds found nowhere else, with a rich and original note which leads her listeners to her own musical world.

Sho Kuon's concerts are characterized by a spark contrast between her serious piano performances and the hilarious talks she likes to make during her live shows. Many of her works, with her performance many call "singing piano," have mesmerizing poetic sentiment, and loved by all generations, from small children to senior citizens. Her repertoire also includes very dynamic pieces, which drives, with her personal groove, the audience into full excitement. Most of those who come to her concert for the first time are surprised by the quality of her works and uniqueness of her way of performance. Sho Kuon has so far published four CDs, which are not limited to piano solos but also include ensemble with various instruments such as Chinese fiddle, violin, female vocal (soprano), and/or chorus. Listening to her works featuring all these is a real experience.

Sho Kuon likes joking "more than three meals of a day," according to a traditional Japanese expression.

Her name Sho Kuon (pronounced "koo, on, show") is a combination of Chinese characters 空(sky), 音(sound), and 唱(to sing).