satsuki odamura

Satsuki Odamura came to live in Australia in 1989 with a musical mission. In addition to her all–important teaching of the koto to students from Sydney to Melbourne and beyond, Satsuki has played a pioneering role in introducing this instrument to audiences outside Japan through performances and recordings. In doing so, she has collaborated with a wide range of musicians in a variety of styles, from jazz–like improvisation with flautist Jim Denley and saxophonist Sandy Evans, to work with sarod virtuoso Ashok Roy, and cross–cultural ensembles Slivanje and Nadoya, as well as appearances with the percussion ensemble Synergy and with orchestras and other ensembles.

She has also inspired numerous Australian composers to write for the koto; among them are Carl Vine, Lisa Lim, Barry Conyngham, Sarah de Jong, Michael Askill, Peter Sculthorpe and Tony Lewis.

She sees part of her mission to be to awaken an appreciation of the differences between Western and Japanese musical cultures, and to help bridge the gap between them. In particular, she is interested in the appreciation of the ma—the gaps between the notes.

discography