Haruka Fujii and the Musubi Trio

READ ABOUT MUSICIANS AND PROGRAM

Beni Shinohara

Ms. Shinohara has been Assistant Concertmaster of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 1990. In addition, she has appeared as a soloist with Tokyo’s Metropolitan Symphony and IMAS Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Houston Ballet Orchestra. In 1988, she joined the San Francisco Opera Orchestra where she holds the position of Assistant Principal Second Violin. A native of Nagoya, Japan, Beni Shinohara was educated at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where she studied violin with Yoshio Unno and Tatsuo Uzuka. She also studied extensively in Europe with Sandor Vegh and in the United States with Ruben Gonzalez, Sergiu Luca, Fredel Lack, and Kenneth Goldsmith. Honors include First Prize in the Tokyo Metropolitan Young Artist Competition and the “Concert Ami” Concours. She was a finalist in the Viotti International Competition and appeared in the Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition.

Haruka Fujii

Founder of the Musubit Trio. Multi-percussionist Haruka Fujii has become one of the most prominent percussionists and marimbists of her generation. Since 2010 Haruka has performed as a member of the Grammy Award winning Silk Road Ensemble, joining a group of international musicians founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Haruka's passion for introducing audiences to new percussion music has put her on stage with diverse orchestras and ensembles: She has appeared as a soloist with the Munich Philharmonic, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Nationale de Lyon, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Her world premiere recordings can be found on the SONY, Kosei, ALM Records, and Deutsche Grammophon labels. Born in Saitama, Japan, Haruka studied music at the Tokyo National University, the Juilliard School, and the Mannes College of Music. Huraka joined the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players in 2020.

Rayo Furuta

Renowned as "The Rockstar of the Flute" by the Informador de Guadalajara in Mexico, Mexican-Japanese American flutist Rayo Furuta is a captivating artist and performer of global acclaim with command over the classical, contemporary, world, jazz, and pop realms. His prestigious performances include those with Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad Ensemble, American Composer's Forum, The United Nations, and the celebrated Annapolis, Banff, Icicle Creek, Mainly Mozart, Opera en la Calle, Okayama, Saarburg, Sarasota, Silicon Valley, and Yellowbarn Music Festivals to name only a few. As a dedicated chamber musician he has performed alongside luminaries like Jon Nakamatsu, Peter Frankl, and members of acclaimed string quartets like Avalon, Brooklyn Rider, Kronos, Mendelssohn, and Emerson. Additionally, his passion for global music has led to performances with superstars Van Anh Vo (Danh Tranh), Sandeep Da, Ghassan Sahhab (Qanun), and Christina Pato (Galacian Bagpipe). He is also a member of the Mexico-city based Contemporary Mexican Jazz Band, Toktli, and is a leading-artist-member of the Common Sounds ensemble. Furuta serves as a Professor of Flute and Chamber Music at San Jose State University.

PROGRAM AND PROGRAM NOTES

Traditional/Musubi: Japanese Folksongs

Kojyo no tsuki,
Oboro Zukiyo,

Shinji Eshima: Musubi (Trio) 2023

Toru Takemitsu: Toward the Sea (Rayo, Haruka) 1981

Shunji Iwai: Hana wa saku (Flowers will Bloom) (Rayo, Beni) 2012

Haruka Fujii: Today (Carlos and Haruka)

traditional, arranged by Haruka Fujii: Sunatoribushi (All)

Haruka Fujii: Small Chat (Haruka Carlos) 2023

Peter Garland: Dancing on Water (Rayo, Haruka) 2001

Eiko Orita: In Spring (Musubi)

Joe Hisaishi

Kaze no Toorimichi (Path of the Wind) from My Neighbor Totoro
Legend of Ashitaka & Princess Mononoke from Princess Mononoke, arranged by Ràyo Furuta

ONI short video screening: Pep Magic (Zach Johnston and Matteo Roberts): Onari’s Lullaby, arranged by Haruka Fujii

A Few Words by Hauka Fujii

Traditional/Musubi: Japanese Folksongs

Kojyo no tsuki,
- “Kojo no Tsuki” is a song with lyrics by Bansui Doi and music by Rentarō Taki, released in 1901. This song is one of the earliest examples of Western music in Japanese history. The text reflects on the moon shining over the ruins of a once-glorious castle, evoking both the splendor of the past and the melancholy of its decay.
Oboro Zukiyo, (Hazy Moonlit Night)
- Composed in 1914 by Tatsuyuki Takano (lyrics) and Teiichi Okano (music), Oborozukiyo is one of Japan’s most beloved songs of the shōka tradition—songs written for schoolchildren during the early 20th century. Its gentle melody and poetic text depict the fleeting beauty of spring: cherry blossoms in bloom, young shoots of vegetables in the fields, and a hazy moon shining softly through the night sky.
Today
- Today, and Sunatoribushi was originally composed in the spring of 2024 as part of a suite, Songs for Ishikawa – a collection of songs created to uplift the people and land of Ishikawa. The region was severely impacted by a massive earthquake on New Year’s Day of 2024, which caused significant damage across the beautiful peninsula and took the lives of hundreds of people. The composition process also coincided with the escalation of the devastating news from the Gaza-Israel conflict, and with Haruka’s father, Akira Fujii, battling aggressive cancer. Today was written as an anthem of encouragement, dedicated to all those on Earth who face life and death, bravely living each day, and to those who support them.
Sunatoribushi
- Designated as an Intangible Cultural Property of Ishikawa Prefecture, this folk song is a precious cultural asset now facing the challenge of being passed on to future generations amid Japan’s ongoing depopulation. The catastrophic earthquake on January 1, 2024, which devastated the region where this tradition has been preserved, has placed the song at even greater risk of fading into history.

Shinji Eshima: MUSUBI - trio for Flute (gohan ) Violin ( nori) and Marimba 2023

Quoting Eshima: "I have been a fan of Haruka since Beni invited me to hear her in concert a few years ago. When they asked me to compose a piece for their trio, I thought the instrumentation was unusual. So I was trying to think of another unusual trio combination and Musubi came to mind,( something that I am also a big fan of. )"

Toru Takemitsu: Toward the Sea (Rayo, Haruka) 1981

Commissioned by Greenpeace for its “Save the Whales” campaign, Toward the Sea reflects Tōru Takemitsu’s lifelong fascination with nature, water, and silence. Originally scored for alto flute and guitar, and later arranged in several versions—including alto flute and harp, and for chamber orchestra—the work embodies Takemitsu’s sensitivity to timbre and space.

Shunji Iwai: Hana wa saku (Flowers will Bloom) 2012

The song was produced mainly by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) as a support song for the reconstruction efforts following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.The lyricist of the song, Shunji Iwai, and the composer, Yoko Kanno, are both from Sendai, Miyagi.[3] Also, the song features notable natives from the affected areas of Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate.

Haruka Fujii: Small Chat (2023)

“Improvisation used to be a foreign world of practice until very recently when I started to realize that it is just another way of communicating, using a collection of sounds as if it is another language, which often transcends the sense of awareness that we have when communicating with actual spoken languages. With the right space, collaborator, and some fun frames, it could create quite an amusing dialogue, by the exchange of listening, learning, offering and inspiring each other. Small Chat is a piece featuring my favorite small found objects (non traditional percussion instruments, found in kitchen, garden, buddhist altar, etc) with lots of spaces for us sisters to have a small chat.”

Eiko Orita: In Spring: Under the Plum Blossom, Deer Running (2010)

Written for Haruka’s family in 2010, Mutsuko and Rika Fujii gave a premiere performance at Minnesota Marimba Festival 2010 in Indianapolis. In Spring contains two movements that can be played separately. “A year ago, I moved my home to the countryside of Japan from the big city, Tokyo. Up in the mountains, only one hour away by car from the cosmopolitan, I am grateful for this drastic change in everyday life, embraced by mother nature. In Spring is based on two stories from my new neighborhood. Under the Plum Blossom portraits the conversation between my neighbors cherishing the change of season by commenting on the color of plum flowers, which you never hear in Tokyo. Deer Running is inspired by the several deer which jumped across in front of my car one night. It is an imaginary scene of deer running all over the mountain and vally at night” - Eiko Orita

Joe Hisaishi: Kaze no Toorimichi (Path of the Wind) from My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Composed by Joe Hisaishi, “Kaze no Toorimichi” (“Path of the Wind”) is one of the most memorable themes from Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. The gentle, lyrical melody captures the sense of childhood wonder and connection to nature that defines the film. Hisaishi blends lush orchestration with a sense of lightness, using simple, flowing lines to create an atmosphere of innocence and discovery. In concert, the piece’s evocative charm resonates with audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the film, offering a musical glimpse into the magical world of Totoro.

Joe Hisaishi:

Legend of Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke (1997)

The opening theme of Princess Mononoke, “Legend of Ashitaka,” introduces the epic scale and emotional depth of the film. Written by Joe Hisaishi, the piece portrays the strength and nobility of the protagonist Ashitaka as he embarks on his journey between the human and spirit worlds. Expansive melodies, rich harmonies, and dramatic orchestration evoke both heroism and tragedy, reflecting the tension between human ambition and the natural world. As a stand-alone work, the music retains its grandeur and continues to captivate audiences with its sweeping, cinematic power.

Princess Mononoke from Princess Mononoke (1997), arranged by Ràyo Furuta.

Also composed by Joe Hisaishi, the theme “Princess Mononoke” serves as a musical portrait of San, the film’s fierce and conflicted heroine raised by wolves. The melody, solemn yet lyrical, conveys both the beauty and turmoil of her world, embodying the film’s central themes of environmental struggle and moral complexity. Through a balance of tenderness and intensity, Hisaishi’s music underscores San’s role as a bridge between humanity and nature. In performance, the piece’s haunting elegance offers a powerful counterpart to the grandeur of “Legend of Ashitaka,” providing a more intimate and reflective perspective on the film’s story.

ONI short video screening: Pep Magic (Zach Johnston and Matteo Roberts): Onari’s Lullaby, arranged by Haruka Fujii

A special short video created by Tonko House for a collaboration with Nippon Kono, an organization founded by the percussionist Haruka Fujii. This video is a short trailer of TV series ONI, to be performed with live musicians. ONI: Thunder God’s Tale is an authentically told Japanese story that inspires people to reject the fear of the unknown and encourages individuals to embrace their own unique identities. It’s a story intentionally crafted for every generation. It delights young audiences with playful humor and fantastical world building, and it captivates adults with cinematic storytelling and a compelling hero’s journey.

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