Nadeshiko Orchestra: The blending beauty between Japanese and Western music

The Nadeshiko Orchestra creates a sophisticated and dignified sound which is made by blending Japanese traditional musical instruments, such as Koto and Shakuhachi, with Western musical instruments, such as violin, piano, and percussion.

The melodic tunes create a special harmony that goes beyond the language barriers and the differing generations.

The Nadeshiko Orchestra is a group which blends both Japanese and Western musical instruments, and also combines the beauty of the Japanese and Western cultures. We played a concert for the 70th anniversary of the Constitution of Japan coming into force, which is held every 10 years inside the Japan National Diet.  We have also performed at many important and significant international conferences.

The orchestra consists of highly talented members, and some of the musicians who play the Japanese instruments are from Tokyo University of the Arts, and they play as the leading performers for the Imperial Household Agency. The Nadeshiko Orchestra plays Japanese folk music, pop music, and theater music with their own special arrangements. This concept makes for a very original and imaginative atmosphere and experience.

Cross culture exchange through Music

Japanese musical instruments have a very delicate structure and they have a more limited music scale and harmony range than Western instruments. That’s why it’s hard to reproduce the original Western musical piece sound by only using Japanese instruments. But when the Western instruments are blended in, a brand new harmony is produced. It is almost like a cross culture exchange.

Japanese people are proud of their traditional instruments that are unique in the world. But by respecting and adopting the sounds of Western instruments, we have been able to create a much deeper culture exchange and friendship through the music.

Tradition x Innovation

The members of Nadeshiko Orchestra practice both traditional and contemporary styles of Japanese and Western musical instruments. Although traditional Japanese and Western musical instruments are neither electronic nor digital instruments, the sounds they produce impress people very much.

Not only do we respect and play in the traditional ways, but we also keep taking in the new generation’s impact on our stage for adopting new styles, and making our relationships more friendly.

The impressive beauty of Kimonos and Japanese patterned dresses.

To express the ancient Japanese beauty on the stage, members who play Japanese instruments wear a traditional Kimono or Hakama. The musicians playing Western musical instruments wear Japanese patterned dresses. We hope you will enjoy not only listening to the music but also seeing the visual coordination and the varieties of clothing that complement each other.

What kind of music do you play?

We play Western music, Rock music, Folk music, Classical music, Anime themes and much, much more.

Can you take a request for a song?

Yes, we can. But we need to carefully arrange each song so that it can be played with Japanese musical instruments. Please let us know which song you want to request about two months in advance. We welcome company songs, commercial songs, and others so that we can provide you with a special musical experience.

If we are not sure about the acoustics of a venue, can you talk directly to the person in charge of the building?

Yes, we can. We need to talk about technical issues before performing on stage, and we talk to the staff of each venue for free. Please give us the information about the staff, venue, phone number, and/or email address, and we will contact them to ensure that the performance runs smoothly .

 

16:05 19 Mar , 2024