77TH SEASON OF

CONCERTS

national gallery of art | may 19, 2019
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Yumi Kurosawa, koto 

Anubrata Chatterjee, tabla 

Virgil Gadson, dancer

Celebrating The Life of Animals in Japanese Art

May 19, 2019 | 3:30

West Building, West Garden Court

Traditional Japanese folk song 

“Sakura” (Cherry Blossom)

Arr. Yumi Kurosawa

Yumi Kurosawa

Rapture

Michiyo Miyagi (1894  –  1956)

Isuzugawa

Kengyo Yatsuhashi (1614  –  1685)

Rokudan 

Yumi Kurosawa

JB Transfer 

OnedayMonday

Journey 

Frédéric Chopin (1810  –  1849)

Étude no. 3 in E Major, op. 10

Arr. Yumi Kurosawa 

Yumi Kurosawa 

Inner Space 

Enchantmentica 

Susanoo

PROGRAM

Photo by GION Studio
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THE MUSICIANS

Yumi Kurosawa

“An inventive, seemingly cosmopolitan composer . . . Ms. Kurosawa presents 

her themes gracefully and then undertakes intricate, sometimes adventurous variations, drawing on a timbral palette that ranged from warm and 

rounded to bright and metallic . . . chromatic, harplike swirls, fluid chordal 

figures and alluring bent notes.” Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

Born and raised in Japan, Yumi Kurosawa began studying the koto at age three. She 

received first prize at the National Japanese Koto Competition for students in 1989 

and 1992, and a scholarship from the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan in 1998. Her 

extensive performances in Japan have included appearances at Suntory Hall in Tokyo 

and on NHK Broadcast TV. Since 2002, Kurosawa has been based in New York. She has 

toured in Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Russia, and the United States.

Kurosawa made her Carnegie Hall debut with Orchestra of the Swan in 2006. In 

2011, she was principal soloist in the premiere of Daron Hagen’s koto concerto Genji

with Orchestra of the Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon. The concerto went on to be performed with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras. In 2013, Kurosawa 

was principal soloist for the premiere of The Memory Stone at the Houston Grand 

Opera. In 2015, she premiered the ballet Tsuru, for which she was commissioned by the 

Houston Ballet and the Asia Society Texas, both as a soloist and a composer. That same 

year, Kurosawa collaborated with Beyoncé dancers Les Twins for a performance at the 

World Heritage site Kiyomizu-dera, in Kyoto; performed at the World Economic Forum 

in Dalian, China; and was a soloist for the koto and shakuhachi concerto FUGAKU, by 

Takashi Yoshimatsu, with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra at Suntory Hall’s opening 

gala. Kurosawa was a guest artist for the Japanese Connection at the Kennedy Center. 

She continues to perform in local New York City venues, such as Joe’s Pub, the 

Highline Ballroom, the Blue Note, the Apollo Theater, and other concert halls. She has 

released two solo records, Looking at the Sky (2015) and Beginning of a Journey

(2009). She has received praise in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and 

other prestigious publications.

Anubrata Chatterjee

Anubrata Chatterjee hails from the finest family of tabla tradition. His father and 

teacher, the legendary maestro Anindo Chatterjee, has been an ambassador of Indian 

percussion for more than forty years. Chatterjee has built upon his father’s style and 

expanded his own repertoire to display an amalgamation of power, grace, skill, and 

superb tonal clarity.

Internationally, Chatterjee marked his debut with a performance at the BBC, and 

after that in such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Esplanade 

Theatre in Singapore. In a memorable concert in Paris, he performed with France’s 

National Orchestra, and in 2012, he had the privilege to perform in Mumbai for India’s 

prime minister. 

While being deeply rooted in the traditional style of playing, Chatterjee also 

understands the need for his art to be contemporary. He actively collaborates on 

projects that are traditional but also New Age, which especially connects with younger 

audiences. To give more attention to this style, he formed a unique percussion group 

named Taal-India, which ensures that every region of the country is represented by a 

percussion instrument.

Chatterjee has also been a part of various fusion bands and has had the opportunity to share a stage with such prominent artists as Shankar Mahadevan, Ranjit Barot, 

Rahim al Haj, and George Brooks. He has created his own band LayaCurry and Beats & 

Pieces, which has been well received throughout the world. His collaboration with 

koto virtuoso Yumi Kurosawa has received global accolades, and Chatterjee himself 

has been awarded the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Yuva Award for 2016. 

Virgil Gadson

Virgil Gadson is an acclaimed dancer, actor, choreographer, and educator from 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has appeared on America’s Got Talent and MTV’s 

America’s Best Dance Crew. He was a finalist on Season 12 of So You Think You Can 

Dance. He has danced alongside Janet Jackson, Travis Scott, and Sam Smith and can 

be seen in commercials for Disney, Target, Crown Royal, Samsung, Chase Bank, Rush 

Card, and Timberland. 

Gadson has a strong background in theater. In 2014, he was nominated for a Fred 

Astaire Award for his Broadway debut as a principal dancer/actor in the Tony-nominated 

show After Midnight, starring Dulé Hill, Fantasia Barrino, Patti LaBelle, Tony Braxton, 

Babyface, K. D. Lang, and Vanessa Williams. He played Graffiti Pete in the encore 

production of In the Heights at the Kennedy Center, starring Vanessa Hudgens and 

Anthony Ramos. 

Although he is known for his hip-hop excellence, he has also integrated a broad 

spectrum of dance genres into his canon, including modern, jazz, African, ballet, and 

tap. He has taught master classes at New York University, the University of the Arts, 

the University of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University. He has been a guest artist at 

multiple dance conventions, including Titans of Dance, Shake the Ground, and Turn 

It Up. Gadson has taught many kinds of classes — freestyle training, hip hop grooves, 

history, and foundation techniques at acclaimed dance studios, such as Broadway 

Dance Center, Exile Professional Gym, and Millennium Dance Complex. 
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For today’s program, Yumi Kurosawa devised a special collaboration that features her 

interpretations of traditional Japanese music, Western classical music, and her own 

compositions, as they represent the relationship of nature and animals to Japan’s rich 

history. In Kurosawa’s words:

What are Japan’s origins? How did Japan grow and come through its long 

history? I have selected a few aspects of Japan’s great heritage that I want to 

share with you. They are also linked deeply to my life. We connect to nature 

strongly, and we are taught to appreciate all aspects of the physical world 

in our everyday life. I created this program particularly for this concert. It 

reflects me as an artist, a musician, and who I am as a person.

PROGRAM NOTES

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Gadson is involved in outreach to dance communities locally and internationally, 

emphasizing the importance of dance history as a vital cultural tradition. He has 

brought his considerable knowledge of the art to Japan, France, Bermuda, Russia, 

China, and Canada. He shares his knowledge and passion for dance with the world and 

especially with the next generation of dancers. 

About The Life of Animals in Japanese Art

Few cultures have devoted as much artistic energy and genius to the depiction of animals 

as Japan, where representations of living creatures are ubiquitous in both religious life 

and the secular realm. The Life of Animals in Japanese Art will be the most comprehensive 

exhibition ever assembled on the subject, and the first to cover the portrayal of animals 

from the sixth century to the present day in a variety of media  —  sculpture, painting, 

lacquerwork, ceramics, metalwork, textile, and woodblock prints. The exhibition will 

explore diverse attitudes toward creatures both real and imaginary, spiritual and 

secular, and will include images of animals in various roles, such as messengers of the 

divine, auspicious motifs, symbols of power, comical or satirical actors, and manifestations of the beauty of the natural world. 

The Life of Animals in Japanese Art was previously scheduled to open on May 5, 2019. 

The date was delayed due to the partial government shutdown in January. The exhibition 

will open on June 2, and run through August 18, 2019. 
Upcoming Events of the SeventySeventh Season of The William Nelson 

Cromwell and F. Lammot Belin Concerts

Unless otherwise noted, concerts 

are held in the West Building, West 

Garden Court.

Kuba Cichocki, piano

Bogna Kicinska, vocals

Patrick O’Leary, bass

In collaboration with the Embassy of 

the Republic of Poland and celebrating 

the European Month of Culture

May 22, 12:10

Futurist

Jazz in the Garden

Alternative Modern

May 24, 5:00

Sculpture Garden

Billy Price 

Jazz in the Garden

Blues

May 31, 5:00

Sculpture Garden

Open Rehearsal: New York Opera Society

The Evolution of Fools: From Jesters 

to Buffoons

Celebrating Sense of Humor

June 1, 3:00

New York Opera Society

The Evolution of Fools: From Jesters 

to Buffoons

Celebrating Sense of Humor

June 2, 3:30

General Information

Admission to the National Gallery of Art 

and all of its programs is free of charge, 

except as noted.

The use of cameras or recording 

equipment during the performance 

is not allowed.

Please be sure that all portable electronic 

devices are turned off.

—

Concerts are made possible in part 

through the generosity of donors to the 

National Gallery of Art through The Circle. 

Reserved seating is available in recognition 

of their support. Please contact the 

development office at (202) 842-6450 or 

circle@nga.gov for more information.

—

The department of music produced 

these program notes. Copyright © 2019 

Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, 

Washington

cover Suzuki Kiitsu, One Hundred 

Animals (detail), 1843, Catherine and 

Thomas H. Edson Collection. Image 

Courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art; 

photo Peggy Tenison

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