Saturday, June 25, 2016, the Consulate-General of Japan in Houston held a piano recital with Dr. Junko Ueno Garrett at the official residence.
At the beginning of the event, Consul-General Tetsuro Amano introduced Dr. Ueno. She began playing piano at the age of three, trained at the prestigious Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo studying under Professor Hiroshi Miura, and received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying under Professor John Perry in the United States. She holds a faculty position at Occidental College, and lives in Los Angeles. She was invited to the University of Houston’s Texas Music Festival and decided to also offer this hometown recital.
The recital was titled “Tango, Soul and Passion: Piano Music from Japan, North America and South America”. During the one hour recital, Dr. Ueno explained and introduced each piece between playing. The program had wide range of pieces, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Joe Hisaishi from Japan, Astor Piazzolla from South America’s tango, and Lowell Liebermann and William Bolcom from North American contemporary music.
In the end of the recital, the audience, included several Consul Generals from different countries, gave Dr. Ueno a standing ovation. Mrs. Amano presented a bouquet to Dr. Ueno to commemorate the evening. At the reception, many guests enjoyed conversation with Dr. Ueno as well. |
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