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About MuSE

MISSION

 

Multicultural Sonic Evolution (MuSE) was co-founded in 2007 and was incorporated as not-for-profit organization in 2009. It is co-directed by composer Yui Kitamura and percussionist Chihiro Shibayama with a simple objective: To better the world with the power of music. Through its annual programming, MuSE collaborates with artists from various disciplines and backgrounds in hopes of sharing classical and popular forms of music with the public. By drawing on their Juilliard School training and their personal experiences as musicians and educators, the founders of MuSE both support and advance the evolution of music-making in modern society.


Each season MuSE produces unique showcases. Each concert provides the core members of MuSE and talented soloists and chamber musicians a platform for sharing their craft. MuSE further nurtures the development of the art form by commissioning new works from contemporary composers. Whether the idiom be classical, pop, jazz, rock, folk or that of musical theatre, MuSE provides a space where exploration and virtue go hand in hand.

 

MuSE also supports artists from other fields who value the musical component of their work. Dancers, actors, film directors, animators and even kimono artists have been invited to collaborate with MuSE throughout the performance season. The organization makes a serious commitment to creating opportunities for these artists to share their talents, ideas and experiences with musicians who pursue the same artistic excellence.

 

The MuSE logo is a tri-colored asterism, and each of its asterisks represents one of the core values of the organization: the red stands for passion, the blue for trust, and the green for dreams. It is MuSE’s goal to bring these values to bear at the crossroads where various traditions and disciplines meet. The result promises to be one that draws on the past to create a bright and promising future.

Yui Kitamura
Co-founder
Artistic Director
Composer
 
Chihiro Shibayama
Co-founder
Program Coordinator
Percussionist
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