News

Junko Ueda presents her shômyô workshop and biwa concert at Monasterio de Pedralbes in Barcelona on 24 May 2025 as part of the 3-day festival Sound and Buddhism organised by Museu de la Música de Barcelona, Oficina d'Afers Religiosos, Monasterio de Pedralbes and Casa Asia. This festival is one event of the project series called Tránsit by Museu de la Música de Barcelona. This project explores the space of interaction between communities, religion and music.

15:30 ~ 18:30: shômyô workshop
20:00: biwa epic story-telling concert
More info and tickets: ajuntament.barcelona.cat

On October 21 2023, Junko Ueda performs traditional biwa story-telling music with works including Dan-no-Ura, Yoshitsune, Gion-Shôja, at the Japan Festival in Akord Theater in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The festival is organised by the Czech-Japanese Cultural Center. More information see: https://japonskedny.cz/

Junko Ueda is performing biwa in the animation film called ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’. The show starts streaming on 28 April 2022 on Netflix. The music is composed by Los Angels based composer Aiko Fukushima. Here below you can see the official trailer at YouTube.

On 12 December 2021, at 18:00: a solo performance at Atrium na Žižkově, Prague, Czech Republic. The program included:
- Dan-no-Ura, traditional biwa music
- Yoshitsune, traditional biwa music
- Tenmetsu, (composed by Czech composer Jiří Lukeš) for biwa and voice, premiere performance.
See more info at Atrium na Žižkově, Prague.

On the 3 November 2021, Duo Ueda Offermans performs at Rietberg Museum in Zurich on the occasion of the exhibition ‘Japanese medieval narrations depicted in the arts’, with subtitling by musicologist Mr. Heinz-Dieter Reese. The program included:

• Atsumori, Japanese traditional biwa music, solo
• Dan-no-Ura, Japanese traditional biwa music, arranged for biwa, voice and flute
• Yoshitsune, Japanese traditional biwa music, solo
• Murasaki-no-Ue, from Tale of Genji, composed by Junko Ueda for biwa, voice and flute.

See more info at the Rietberg Museum, Zurich.

Shomyo Chant and Heike-Monogatari biwa story-telling at St. Caecilien/Museum Schnuetgen on 7 June 2018.

Click here to read the review of the concert ‘OULOMENEN - Le Chant des Guerriers’ at St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, Metz, France on 22 September, 2017.

• 19 - 21 September, 2017: Shomyo Buddhist Chant and Gion-Shôja singing workshop with students of Département de musique ancienne de la Haute école de musique de Genève. The workshop will be held in Sarrebourg in France.
• 22 September, 2017, 20:00: Biwa concert at St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, Metz, France, in the program of ‘OULOMENEN - Le Chant des Guerriers’. More information, click here.
• 14 & 15 October, 2017: Shomyo Buddhist Chant workshop at Ateliers d'Ethnomugicologie, Geneva, Swiss. More information, click here.
• 2 - 4 February, 2018: Shomyo Chant concert at the Festival Sacrées Journées de Strasbourg, France.

Location: Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon

25 October, 2016, 14:00₁₈:00 Shomyo Buddhist Chanting workshop, in Salle d'ensemble
26 October, 2016, Concert 'Nuit de L'épopé', in Salle Varèse

• 18:00 : Film 'Kwaidan' (2nd and 3rd episode) by Masaki Kobayashi
• 19:00 : La Chanson de Roland (Département de musique ancienne); Dan-no-Ura (Junko Ueda)
• 21:00: J. F. Rebel : Les éléments, A. Campra : Tancrède, C. Monteverdi : Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (Département de musique ancienne); Yoshitsune (Junko Ueda)

Odile Edouard, Jean Tubéry, Pierre Hamon et Anne Delafosse (Département de musique ancienne), préparation musicale
Junko Ueda, chant et satsuma-biwa

Infomation: https://www.cnsmd-lyon.fr/agenda/nuit-de-lepopee

On the 20 - 21 November,2015, surrounded by full of audience, Junko Ueda presents her recitals of Epic Story of Heike at Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris. In this tremendously difficult moment, what we need now is music. Let's play for Paris!

On the 1st November 2015, Junko Ueda gives her recital "The Epic of The Heike" at Bourgie Hall in Montreal, Canada, performing four pieces: Dan-no-Ura; Shunkan; Yoshitsune; Gion-Shôja. This concert is presented with English and French subtitling. Next day, she presents her shomyo workshop at University of Montreal.

Concert
October 3, 2015, 20:30: Double concert 'Musiques du Japon Ancien, Chants Biwa et Koto' at MEG - Musée d'ethnographie de Genève.

Shomyo workshop
October 3, 2015, 14:00 ~ 16:00: for advanced students
October 4, 2015, 10:30 ~ 12:30: for beginners
October 4, 2015, 14:00 ~ 16:00: for advanced students
October 4, 2015, 16:30 ~ 17:15: presentation of the workshop at MEG

Concert and workshops are organized by Ateliers d'ethnomusicologie in the occasion of the exhibition at MEG 'The Buddhism of Madame Butterfly, Buddhist Japonism'. Registration and information of the workshop: 022-919.0494

• July 8, 2015, biwa solo concert, Devonshire Square, City of London Festival, UK, on the occasion of Festival Satsuma 150 (the 150 anniversary of the arrival of the Satsuma Students in the UK).
• July 10, 2015, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS University of London, lecture and concert on the occasion of Festival Satsuma 150. At 17:15₁₈:00 lecture with Dr. Divid Hughes and at 19:00 biwa concert with traditional pieces and November Steps Cadenza by Toru Takemitsu (with shakuhachi by Joe Browning)
• July 11&12, 2015, 11:00 ~ 17:00: Two days Shomyo chanting workshops at SOAS University of London (Russell Square: College Buildings). More info and contact at: SOAS / Buddhist Chant from Japan
• September 6, 2015, biwa solo concert in Koncert Kirken, Copenhagen World Music Festival, Denmark
• October 3, 2015, biwa concert in Ethnographic Museum, Geneva, on the occasion of Exhibition Buddhism
• October 3 & 4, 2015, shomyo Buddhist chanting workshop at Ethnographic Museum, Geneva, on the occasion of Exhibition Buddhism
• November 1, 2015, 14:00, biwa solo concert in The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Bourgie Hall, Montreal, Canada
• November 2, 2015, shomyo workshop at University of Montreal
• November 20&21, 2015, biwa solo concert, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, France