Oldenborg Luncheon Colloquium
Music as Collective Memory – Sound and Remembrance in Japanese Tradition
Time: Thursday, March 26, 2026, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Place: Pomona College Oldenborg Center (350 N. College Way
Claremont, CA 91711) South Dining room
Cost: To access the Oldenborg Dining Hall, a meal purchase is required. 5C students can swipe in and 7C faculty and staff can sign in when accessing the dining hall.
All community members should purchase their meal tickets in advance at Cafe 47.
Description:
The Japanese word kioku, meaning “memory” or “remembrance,” suggests more than the recalling of facts; it evokes an impression of feelings that expand beyond words. In this performance-lecture, traditional musicians Nobuko Fukatsu and Mao Sakurada explore how music functions as a vessel of memory across time.
Centered on the biwa (Japanese lute), shamisen, and shinobue (bamboo flute), the presentation draws from Japan’s oldest folk music as well as modern pieces to consider how sound carries emotional landscapes, personal histories, and communal narratives. Through performance and reflection, Fukatsu and Sakurada examine how musical traditions transmit lived experience across generations — allowing the past to resonate in the present and be shared as collective memory.
Mao Sakurada is a performing artist grounded in Japanese folk music and movement traditions. Her practice centers on biwa (Japanese lute), shamisen, shinobue (bamboo flute), and dance, integrating music, movement, and oral narrative. Based in Japan, she trained through a live-in apprenticeship under Akira Katogi, a master performer of Japanese festival music and Kagura (Shinto ritual dance). Approaching folk tradition as a living practice, her work explores the relationship between sound, daily life, and community.
Nobuko Fukatsu is a Los Angeles-based Japanese biwa instrumentalist and vocalist. Rooted in the classical narrative traditions of the biwa, her work bridges past and present. She performs on instruments of deep historical significance – including biwas that survived the Japanese American incarceration during World War II – sustaining memory and history through sound. She has appeared at cultural festivals, educational institutions, and community events, and her artistry has also been featured in film, game, and other media.
Co-sponsored with the Asian Languages and Literatures at Pomona College
Event Contact Tamara Olivos
Contact Phone (909) 607-1159
Contact Email tamara.olivos@pomona.edu
Web Link Learn more about the Oldenborg Luncheon Colloquium.