is a Japanese ''

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * ...

'' player noted for her performance of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

and free improvisation. She began studying, at the age of eight, with Michio Miyagi. She later graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. She plays both the 13-string and 17-string kotos. As a soloist, as well as with her koto ensemble, she has performed and worked with

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Yuji Takahashi,

Ayuo Ayuo Takahashi (born October 19, 1960) is a Japanese-born American composer, poet, lyricist, singer and performer of plucked string instruments including guitar, bouzouki, Irish harp, Chinese zheng, Japanese koto, and medieval European psaltery. ...

, Roberto Carnevale,

Sofia Gubaidulina Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina (russian: Софи́я Асгáтовна Губaйду́лина, link=no , tt-Cyrl, София Әсгать кызы Гобәйдуллина; born 24 October 1931) is a Soviet-Russian composer and an established ...

, David Behrman, Carl Stone, and many other composers. She has performed in Japan, North America, and Europe. She was married to the late Tadao Sawai, who was also a ''koto'' player and composer. The couple had a son Hikaru Sawai (b. 1964), who is also a ''koto'' player and composer. She operates a school in Japan, where she teaches both Japanese and foreign students. Her students include Michiyo Yagi,

Elizabeth Falconer Elizabeth Falconer (born July 20, 1956) is one of the few American masters of the ''koto'', a traditional zither from Japan. Unusually, she is licensed in two koto schools in Japan. She began playing the koto in 1979. She earned a ''junshihan'' (ass ...

Shoko Hikage Shoko, Shōko or Shōkō may refer to: *Shoko (Buddhist) (1162–1238), disciple of Hōnen and second patriarch of Jōdo-shū *Emperor Shōkō (1401–1428), the 101st Emperor of Japan * ''Shōko'' (instrument), a small gong used in the ''gagaku'' ...

, and Mei Han.

References

External links

Kazue Sawai official site
1941 births Contemporary classical music performers Japanese classical musicians Japanese contemporary classical musicians Koto players Living people Musicians from Kyoto Tokyo University of the Arts alumni {{Japan-musician-stub