Dex Presents: Summer Giving 2024 with The Japan Ensemble

The Japan Ensemble is hosting a fundraising gala presented by Dex Digital Sample Library at LA ARTCORE on Wednesday July 17 from 7 PM to 9 PM. The night includes performances by the Japanese Ensemble, raffles, a silent auction, and a takoyaki and yakitori dinner, which is included in the ticket price. Performances by The Japanese ensemble, directed by Kozue Matsumoto (Shogun on Hulu/Disney, Ghost of Tsushima, Genshin Concert Orchestra), will include chamber works, a taiko performance, and a full ensemble concert.

This fundraising effort comes at the news of the student ensemble’s funding being cut by their original endorser, California Institute of the Arts. “This should be a period of giving to BIPOC communities, not the opposite,” a CalArts member states. “We deserve to exist, and we deserve to be successful with what we have built, not being taken away. We’re not going anywhere soon.”

The Japan Ensemble, led by Prof. Kozue Matsumoto, is a group of dedicated student musicians based in Santa Clarita, CA, committed to celebrating and sharing Japanese music and culture through education and performance. The ensemble are proud to be part of such a vibrant local area and excited by every opportunity to engage with our community through music.

The ensemble began in 2015 at CalArts, where Prof. Matsumto teaches a class introducing students from diverse backgrounds to Japanese culture, traditions and instruments. All of the ensemble’s current members began their journey in this class, and fell in love with Japanese music under Kozue’s knowledgeable and passionate guidance.

The ensemble members have devoted years to honing their skills on their instruments. Through our performances, we’ve formed close ties with communities across Santa Clarita and Los Angeles, reaching audiences at libraries, gardens, schools, and community.

Dex Digital Sample Library is an open-access 501(c)(3) organization focused on two objectives: (1) we host a free online collection of over 1.5 terabytes of audiovisual content licensed for use in artistic projects, and (2) we commission artists to perform, in live concert and event settings and in produced set environments, for collection in our library. These two objectives serve to culturally enrich our patrons, both locally in our hub locations (Central Florida, DC/Baltimore, and the greater Los Angeles area) through live events and virtually, through our online collection.

Learn more at https://dexdsl.com

Dex Digital Sample Library, dex, and Dex are trademarks of DEX CO-OP CORP. This event is not associated with and does not benefit CalArts in any way.

Host or Publisher Dex Digital Sample Library