— from Linda Sloane —
The exciting Miho & Diego Duo is coming to the San Juan Islands Mar. 28 through Apr. 1 as part of Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s Musicians-in-Residence program. In addition to their work in the schools on Orcas, Shaw, and Lopez, Miho and Diego will bring free family concerts to all three islands and free World Rhythm Workshops to the Orcas and Lopez communities, thanks in part to a generous grant from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Miho & Diego Duo has been boldly blending Latin and Japanese musical traditions since 2006, encouraging cultural understanding through music. Miho Takekawa and Diego Coy formed their duo after years of admiring each other’s work and discovering that their sounds could be combined to make something genuinely new and unique.
Miho graduated from Kunitachi School of Music in her native Japan before earning her Master’s and Doctorate in percussion performance from the University of Washington School of Music. She now teaches at Pacific Lutheran University, where she heads the percussion studio and directs the school’s percussion and steel pan ensembles.
Diego was born in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and is former musical director of “Fundacion Viva La Musica” and “Fundacion Funmusica.” He is a master of exploring the musical traditions of his own native culture, playing Andean flute, panpipes, and many other traditional instruments. Together, this talented duo introduces their distinctive music and encourages the audience to join in the fun. Miho and Diego understand the importance of cultural awareness and believe music is a key component.
Miho and Diego begin their residency on Orcas Island Tuesday, Mar. 28. They will work with Orcas Island High School and Middle School bands and at Salmonberry, Montessori, Kaleidoscope, and Children’s House preschools.
Tuesday evening, all who have an interest in percussion are invited to a free World Rhythm Workshop at the Orcas Island Odd Fellows Hall from 6 – 7 p.m. All skill levels are welcome at this workshop.
On Saturday, Apr. 1, at 2 p.m., Orcas Islanders will be treated to the Miho & Diego Duo’s “Musical Trip Around the World” at the Odd Fellows Hall. This free concert will be fun for all!
In between the Orcas Island workshop and concert, Miho and Diego will take a mini-tour of other San Juan Islands. They will give a percussion workshop and concert on Lopez Island on Mar. 29 and 30 and stop on Shaw Island on Friday, Mar. 31, to work with the Shaw School students during the day and present a concert at the Shaw Island Community Building at 6:30 p.m.
Don’t miss these educational and entertaining workshops and concerts! For more information, contact Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival at 360-376-6636 or email info@oicmf.org.
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Thank you, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Washington State Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for bringing these two back to our communities. Miho and Diego are inspiring and entertaining as well as educators. Go to these events if you can. You won’t imagine all the different percussion instruments they will bring with them, and you’ll enjoy the experiences of participating as percussionists in a multi-culture funfest.