Miya Masaoka
Miya Masaoka (born 1958) is a musician and composer who performs on the Japanese zither-like instrument the koto, often augmenting it with string preparations and electronic triggers (as in her "Koto
Monster", where additional laser beam "strings" hover over
the koto). She is known for creative, improvisational technique,
and a sensibility that combines experimental Western
approaches with the tradition of the koto. Her compositions have included works for large ensembles
sometimes with unusual sound sources such as hives of bees,
or the amplified sounds of human bodies (brain waves, heart
beat, etc). One notable piece was performed outdoors in a
plaza on San Francisco's sometimes unsavory Market Street,
utilizing an ensemble of dozens of musicians, a pair of male
and female exotic dancers, and taped interviews with sex
workers: "What's the Difference Between Stripping and
Playing the Violin?" An impressive blend of musical
composition, and site-specific conceptual art. She has also done performance art utilizing insects
(madagascar beetles, bees) crawling across her body
(references to the Yoko Ono film "Fly"). Miya Masoka is known as one of the more unique members of
the Bay Area Improv Scene (sometimes also called the
Creative/New Music scene) in the San Francisco area.
External linksOfficial website: http://www.miyamasaoka.com/Miya Masaoka's home page at SF State: http://thecity.sfsu.edu/~miya/Miya Masaoka's page at the Asian Improv site: http://www.asianimprov.com/artists_one.asp?artistid=19Biography from the Other Minds festival: http://www.otherminds.org/shtml/Masaoka.shtmlThe Bay Improviser page on Miya Masaoka (with some sound samples): http://www.bayimproviser.com/artistdetail.asp?artist_id=19
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