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Duo EVA ALKULA & TOMOYA NAKAI is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the fascinating collaboration of two traditional instruments, Finnish kantele and Japanese koto. Duo's 3rd album is a collection of Japanese and Finnish folk songs.
Kantele musician Eva Alkula specializes in contemporary music and Japanese-influenced music. Eva performs regularly as a soloist and in various chamber music ensembles in Finland and abroad. Her collaborations with contemporary composers, musicians, and visual artists have generated many new works for the kantele, concert projects, and installations. With an ever-broadening international audience, she has given concerts across Europe, as well as in Russia, the USA and Japan. Her connections to Japanese music and culture run especially deep and span almost her entire professional life. In 1999-2000 she studied koto playing in Hokkaido University of Education and she continues to visit Japan annually, collaborating with koto artist Tomoya Nakai. In 2003, she graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.Eva also works as a teacher. Since 2009 she has been teaching in the Tampere Conservatory.
Tomoya Nakai(25-stringed koto player) meets the koto at the age of six. Graduated from the Department of Japanese Music, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts.Composed with various genres by composing with a new feeling based on myths, literary works, and Noh. Released solo album "infinity" (2014), "TRADITIONAL" (2015) , "PRIME" (2018). Received the Mie Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award in 2016. In the overseas performances, the Japan Foundation overseas performances project "110th anniversary of migration to Mexico, 110th anniversary of Japan-Chile Treaty of Friendship" is a tour of Mexico, Chile and the Dominican Republic. Also toured in India, France, Italy and Spain. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be dispatched to Thailand and Vietnam as a cultural mission to decorate the Japan-Mekong interchange year opening event. After returning to Japan, performed a triumphant return performance at a dinner party with the Vietnam Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office. Hosted by the Japanese Embassy, held recitals in Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Portugal. Appeared at the opening concert at the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Japan-Sweden diplomatic relations(2018).
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