This one-night-only performance features the artistry of Chieko Kojima, principal dancer of the world renowned drumming ensemble Kodo; Kaoru Watanabe, bamboo flute soloist, former flutist and current artistic director of Kodo's Earth Celebration; Monami Shishikura, Ikuta style koto master; and Kenny Endo, leader of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble.

The performance will be a visual and musical performance that traverses time and cultural boundaries with a mix of Japanese traditional and modern improvised music and dance.

Tickets are $22.50 (general admission) at the Honolulu Box Office, 1188 Bishop Street #609, Honolulu.

Tickets can also be purchased by phone at 550-9457 or online at: www.honoluluboxoffice.com.

Will Call will be open on site starting one hour before showtime.

The artists:

CHIEKO KOJIMA (dance, taiko) was born in Tochigi-prefecture, Japan, Chieko joined Ondekoza, predecessor to Kodo, in 1976 and thus began her career with taiko and folk dancing. Since the formation of Kodo in 1981, she has become well known for her original style of dancing in Kodo's taiko-based performance. She has incorporated elements of Japanese folk dance, and Balinese dance into her routine. Her solo taiko performance of Hana Hachijo is widely acclaimed for its powerful yet feminine and graceful style.

KAORU WATANABE (bamboo flutes, taiko) was born in St. Louis, MO in 1975 to a musical household: father a violinist and mother a harpist in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He began playing flute at 13 and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy (Michigan) and NY's Manhattan School of Music as a jazz flute and saxophone major. He has performed and recorded with, among others, Blue Note recording artists Stefon Harris and Jason Moran. He studied Noh Kan and Edo Matsuri Bayashi styles of fue (bamboo flute) in Tokyo before joining the internationally acclaimed Kodo in 1999. With Kodo, he recorded and performed with such luminaries as Zakir Hussein, Aierto Moreira, Giovanni Hidalgo and Carlos Nunez. He specialized in the various bamboo flutes, composing and acting as artistic director of Kodo's Earth Celebration an annual world music festival. n 2006 Kaoru embarked on a solo artist career in New York City.

MONAMI SHISHIKURA (koto) has been a hidden gem in our Honolulu. A "shihan" (master teacher) of the koto (Japanese zither) and shamisen (3-stringed Japanese lute), Monami received her master's certificate from Seiha Japanes Music Association of Ikuta School. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Koto Performance from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and a master's certificate from the NHK Traditional Japanese Music Educational Association. Monami studied koto with Yasuko Nakashima and Sachiko Miyamoto, and the shamisen with Garei Okubo. Monami has performed in Bali, Oslo, Basel, Khabarovsk, Saint Petersburg, Japan, and US. This will be one of Monami's final performances before she returns to Japan.

KENNY ENDO (taiko, percussion) is a performer, composer, and leader of contemporary taiko. He has paved new directions in taiko, bringing a creative approach to music through his background in Western, ethnic, and Japanese drumming. His music blends neo-traditional taiko rhythms with original melodies and improvisation. Originally trained in Western music, he began his taiko career over 30 years ago.

In 1980, Endo embarked on a decade-long odyssey in Japan performing with the masters of Japanese classical drumming, Tokyo festival music, and ensemble drumming. He became the first non-Japanese national to receive a "natori" (stage name and master's license) in classical Japanese drumming. He has performed world wide and has worked with acclaimed artists of various mediums in innovative collaborations.