Jonathan Ley
Mitsuki Dazai
Mitsuki Dazai is a graduate of Japan's renowned Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, Japan, where she majored in vocal performance in the Western Classical tradition. During the course of her studies, she felt drawn to the non-western traditions of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Interest in these areas eventually led Mitsuki on a circuitous route to a discovery of traditional Japanese music and she began intense studies in traditional koto music at the Ikuta School of Koto. She is a graduate of the prestigious Sawai Koto Conservatory in Tokyo, where she was honored as a certified koto instructor. Mitsuki's musical background is both diverse and extensive as a performer and innovator, arranging and composing koto music in different styles. Not limiting herself to music traditionally associated with the koto, her performances often incorporate western, pop, and improvisational elements and arrangements, challenging the many voices of the koto and allowing her to relate the koto's appeal to a variety of audiences. She has performed solo and with ensembles throughout Japan, and in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Eugene.
