General Admission Tickets   $28.00

Memorial Hall, 590 Main Street
Melrose, Massachusetts


Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)

Marriage of Figaro Overture

Takashi Koto (b. 1946)

When Doves Coo for Koto and Orchestra

Martin Max Schreiner (b. 1950)

Sunlight on Mountain Snow for Koto and Orchestra

Masayo Ishigure, Koto


- Intermission -


Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Symphony No. 5

I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante con moto
III. Andante con moto, Allegro scherzando
IV. Allegro molto

The Soloist

Masayo Ishigure, Koto

Masayo Ishigure began playing the koto and jiuta style shamisen at the age of five in Gifu, Japan. She studied with koto masters Tadao and Kazue Sawai and became a special research student in 1986 at the Sawai Koto Academy of Music. Since arriving in New York City in 1992 Ms.Ishigure has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall-Weill Recital Hall, BAM, Merkin Hall and other venues in the NY city metropolitan area. She was a guest artist with NY City Ballet Principal Dancer Mr.Peter Boal, and with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Guest soloist of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Ms Ishigure has also performed in Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Russia, Belarus and Jamaica many venues throughout the United States. She has participated in music festivals in Holland, Germany, France and Thiland. 

Ms Ishigure performed with koto master Kazue Sawai at the Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and the Japan Society in New York. In 2005 she also appeared with Kazue Sawai at Freer Gallery and the Asia Society in New York.

Since 1992, Ms.Ishigure has been teaching koto and shamisen in the music department of Wesleyan University (CT) as an artist in residence where she formed the Wesleyan Koto Ensemble. She also offers private lessons as the only Sawai Koto Academy Instructor in the New York City and Washington DC area.

She recorded music for the soundtrack of the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" by John Williams in 2005 along with Yitzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, and others.

She released her own CD "Grace" in 2001 and will shortly release her second solo CD. She also appeared on the East Winds Ensemble CD of Hiyao Miyazaki's anime songs in 2004.

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