Agatsuma Brings New Musical Style

The Schauer Center in Hartford is featuring the only Wisconsin performance of master shamisen player Agatsuma and Holy Angels students were treated to a preview. The shamisen is a three-stringed, long-necked instrument that is played with a pick the size of an ice scrapper. Agatsuma infuses traditional sound with contemporary musical styles. His ensemble also demonstrated a variety of percussion instruments during the presentation. Students and teachers were invited to play the drums and they joined Agatsuma in a traditional Japanese tempo as well as a version of Smoke on the Water.

The preview was provided through various grants which are also supporting a nine-city tour as part of the 2009-2011 Arts Midwest World Fest.