JapanNYC Spring Events Begin on Monday, March 14

This spring, from Monday, March 14 to Saturday, April 9, Carnegie Hall launches part two of JapanNYC, an ambitious two-part citywide festival inviting audiences to explore the incredible diversity of Japanese arts and culture with more than 65 performances and events at Carnegie Hall and New York City partner venues.

The spring lineup of more than 40 events will include classical, pop, and traditional Japanese music (including free Neighborhood Concerts), noh theater, taiko drumming, dance, film, exhibitions, workshops, and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics. Featured artists in JapanNYC this spring include violinist Midori, the NHK Symphony Orchestra led by André Previn, Bach Collegium Japan with conductor Masaaki Suzuki, Kodo Drummers, Kasha-juku Noh Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, Eiko & Koma, jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, shamisen players Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta, pianist Aimi Kobayashi, and many more.

A number of exciting, new events have been added to the JapanNYC spring lineup since the festival began in December. Two new events kick off JapanNYC’s spring schedule on March 14: Panel Discussion: Innovating and Profiting in Contemporary Japan; Japan’s economic setbacks haven’t stifled opportunities for smart companies to thrive. Join a discussion with Norman Pearlstine, Chief Content Officer, Bloomberg LP; and Chairman, Bloomberg Businessweek, as he speaks with leaders from Gilt Groupe, Dentsu, and other organizations about how they’re profiting in a challenging but lucrative environment; Monday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall; presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Bloomberg.

Special Event: j-CATION 2011: Beyond Cute; an all-day open house taking visitors beyond Japan’s kawaii (cute) culture introducing them to some of the most recent, radical, and wondrous trends in Japan today; Saturday, April 9, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. at Japan Society; presented by Japan Society. Also, special walk-in Japanese-language tours of Carnegie Hall will be given at 12:30 p.m. on March 22, March 26, April 5, and April 9. The public may visit carnegiehall.org/japannyc for the most up-to-date information on festival events, interviews with artists, videos, slideshows, and other content providing insight into Japan’s arts scene and JapanNYC festival offerings. Carnegie Hall’s social media sites, facebook.com/carnegiehall and twitter.com/carnegiehall, will also share festival information including a special origami contest.

The JapanNYC festival explores the world of Japan today, where artists embrace their country’s unique aesthetic sensibilities while continually revitalizing its cultural landscape. Led by famed conductor Seiji Ozawa as Artistic Director, JapanNYC celebrates a country that values its long-standing cultural heritage while also embracing and transforming Western art forms, in a spirit that very much looks ahead.

The festival extends throughout New York City, thanks to partnerships with 26 prestigious New York cultural institutions, including Absolutely Live Entertainment and New Audiences; Asian Contemporary Art Week; Asia Society; Baryshnikov Arts Center; Bloomberg; Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Danspace Project; Film Forum; Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University; Japan Society; The Juilliard School; Macy’s; The New York Public Library; The Noguchi Museum; The Paley Center for Media; Paul Szilard Productions and Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance; The Wall Street Journal; Wordless Music; Works & Process at the Guggenheim; and the World Music Institute. Free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts at partner venues—Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts; Abrons Art Center at Henry Street Settlement; LaGuardia Performing Arts Center; and Lehman Stages at Lehman College in the Bronx—will ensure that JapanNYC is accessible to all.

Extending beyond New York, Carnegie Hall continues its partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County for a second consecutive year. Select artists appearing in JapanNYC will also perform this season at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, as part of JapanOC, a West Coast festival presented by the Philharmonic Society from October 2010 through April 2011, thanks to the generous support of South Coast Plaza.

Check out the full event listing at the JapanNYC website – http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/series/brochure/japannyc/index.aspx