Kozue Matsumoto

Koto is a traditional Japanese musical instrument that has been enjoyed by people for thousands of years. The style we play now was established around 400 years ago. The classics played today were mostly composed in the Edo era (1600s to 1800s), as well as in the Taisho and Showa eras (the early 1900s.) Composers of this era experimented with mixing Western and traditional styles. Their compositions remain popular today. Moreover, many contemporary Koto musicians enjoy following traditional scales and styles while fusing this with popular Western music. I mainly learned the classics when I was a child but I've been playing a variety styles for the last 10 years and would love to play with other musicians here in Canada as I believe tradition is always developing.