The Music of Kikuko Kanai (1906-1986)
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal College of Music
Department Name: Research
Abstract
Please see pdf
People |
ORCID iD |
| Maiko Kawabata (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
| Description | The purpose of this award was to research the music of Kikuko Kanai, a Japanese woman composer who, despite her significant contributions to Western Classical music, is not well known. My aim was to raise public awareness of her life and works, as part of a project dedicated to spotlighting ethnically diverse composers, for which I undertook fieldwork at a private archive in Tokyo, Japan, where her manuscripts and papers were kept. My aim was achieved through the following research outputs: 'Notes Unearthed: The Music of Margaret Bonds and Kikuko Kanai' BBC Radio 3 podcast interview with Samantha Ege introduced by Linton Stephens, 25 November 2022 'Rediscovered Composers' BBC Radio 3 live interview with presenter Linton Stephens with the BBC Philharmonic performing the orchestral music of Kikuko Kanai, 4 November 2022 'Diverse Classical Music' BBC Radio 3 Arts & Ideas: New Thinking podcast interview released in November 2021 and broadcast in February 2022 BBC Radio 3 live concert with pianist Claire Hammond performing the piano music of Kikuko Kanai, February 2022 |
| Exploitation Route | I am currently at work on a conference presentation and a scholarly publication, most likely a monograph, pending a follow-up research trip to the Kanai archive in Tokyo, Japan, planned for August 2023 and supported by funding from the the Music & Letters Trust, the Open University, and the Royal College of Music. This funding will help further research into Kanai and support the focus in the academic community on ethnically diverse composers who have been excluded traditionally from the canon. The music of Kanai has reached a wider listenership than ever before thanks to this funding, which has the potential to inspire young listeners, particularly girls of colour, to believe that they too can aspire to inclusion in the canon. |
| Sectors | Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dj8qpp |
| Description | My findings have been used to facilitate the programming of Kanai's Capriccio Okinawa for full orchestra by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a performance taking place in February 2024. The concert will be recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. My findings form the basis of a Symposium taking place in July 2024 at the Royal College of Music exploring Kanai and her World. I have submitted an abstract for a conference paper to the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance in Osaka taking place in August 2024. My paper has been accepted by the programme committee. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |