America's First Piano Ensemble Music Foundation is Launched in Silicon Valley

A public foundation with focus on piano ensemble music is launched in order to: 1) develop a piano ensemble music community , 2) hold piano duo concerts for the young artists, 3) provide educational opportunities, and 4) build a library of piano ensemble music from around the world.

The piano duo genre is popular in Europe, Russia and Japan. However, in the United States, we find only a couple of educational organizations for this music genre. In collaboration with the professional artists from around the world, a non-profit venture, which specializes in this Piano Ensemble Music (

Cupertino, CA (PRWEB) April 11, 2008 -- Silicon Valley is the home of an exciting new Arts organization, which is being launched this month. The Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation ("KPMF") has been formed (as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) and has kicked-off its operations in Cupertino, California.

The KPMF is focused on the genre of Piano Duo and Piano Ensemble Music, which is popular in Europe and Asia, but somewhat neglected in the United States. Mr. Atsushi "Alex" Kurosawa has formed the KPMF in order to inspire young piano artists, ages 10 to 18, to discover and explore the rich and varied repertoire of the piano duo genre, and be
trained in piano duo artistry, which teaches precision teamwork and provides deeply moving experiences to impact the lives of all who participate.

As part of its operations, KPMF: 1) develops a network of acclaimed international piano duos and young piano duo teams, composers, teachers, parents, publishers and piano music lovers and volunteers; 2) holds piano duo concerts for the benefit of young artists and the community; 3) provides educational opportunities and exchange programs for young artists; and 4) builds a library of valuable and useful piano music ensemble ("PEM") works in the form of scores, audio, and video sources, from around the world.

Initial activities for the KPMF include a Young Artists Concert on May 4, featuring 10~12 local duos, and a special concert on July 3, featuring professional piano duos from Europe and Asia, who will perform, offer master classes, and provide encouragement to the Bay Area's young piano artists. Both of the programs will be held in Mountain View, California at Tateuchi Hall Community School of Music & Arts at the Finn Center.

Atsushi ("Alex") Kurosawa is heading up the KPMF as President, together with the Board of Directors. He brings in broad experience of starting and managing both profit and non-profit ventures. His for-profit executive experience was built in both public and private companies, such as VLSI Technology, IKOS Systems, and Sonics. He is currently General Partner, Start-up101 Ventures, a venture fund for technology start-ups.

Mr. Kurosawa co-founded an education nonprofit organization in Japan and serves as a Board member at Kiwanis Cub of San Jose. His technology background will help building a library of PEM utilizing multimedia communications. His investment experience will be instrumental in building and managing an endowment. He maintains passion for children education and a five-decade long love for piano music.

"The piano duo genre is popular in Europe, Russia and Japan. However, in the United States, we find only a couple of educational organizations for this music genre. In collaboration with the professional artists from around the world, a non-profit venture, which specializes in this Piano Ensemble Music ("PEM"), can make a great impact. PEM will certainly enrich and transform lives of the young artists and the community," states Mr. Kurosawa.

(Attached: Background Information)
Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation - Background for April 11,
Press Release.

Mr. Kurosawa has assembled is a strong Board of Directors that brings in the professional experiences needed for this endeavor.

Catherine Angelo is an experienced performing artist as a member of The Angelo Piano Duo. The Duo's international career includes performances in Australia, England, Italy, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, the Ukraine and the United States. The Duo founded the San Francisco International Music Festival organization (Sfmf) with the goal of launching a San Francisco-based international festival that will capture the spirit of the Russian and European festivals and highlight the seldom-heard piano duo genre. She will use her extensive performance and production experience, and festival management to present world class concerts and educational programs for the benefit of young artists and the Silicon Valley community.

James Reber is a proven leader in the non-profit art community with experience in, fundraising, management, strategic planning and marketing. His rich non-profit entrepreneur experience includes positions such as Founder and Executive Director of San Jose Repertory Theater. His well-established network in the art community and hands-on non-profit start-up experience will put KPMF onto the fast track in establishing its position and accelerate the growth of an endowment fund which provides long-term sustainability.

John Fukasawa is a community volunteer and leader with an interest in leadership development opportunities for youth and young adults. He has a legal education, and has practiced in Santa Clara County as a specialist in Family Law for over 30 years. He has decades of experience in organizing and planning community service projects for children and young adults. His experience in helping establish other 501(c)(3) organizations, and legal background will help provide a solid backbone for the organization. He also has broad experience gained from serving on other non-profit boards, and governing bodies. Presbyterian Church of San Jose.

Yoko Kurosawa is a graduate of Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo with a couple of degrees; a Bachelor of Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education. She also studied with Machi Adachi for her voice. She will oversee education programs based on her extensive teaching experience in Japan for 13 years and in the US for 17 years. Also being a duo pianist, an accompanist, an organist, a church pianist and a soprano singer, she has been coaching her students on piano ensemble music with emphasis on teamwork as well.

In 2008, KPMF has already sponsored and promoted the Sfmf's Young Artists' Piano Duo Concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on January 13, 2008 and increased the awareness of the piano duo genre in the South Bay. It was exciting to see eleven young piano duos perform so well to a full house of an enthusiastic audience of approximately 150 people that shared the inspiring experience. The idea to bring the excitement of piano duo music to Silicon Valley has been receiving a great response from the community.

The goal for 2008 includes the development of piano duo community, the implementation of the first Young Artists Piano Duo Concert in May, and the inaugural International Music Festival in July, both in Silicon Valley, and fund drives to build sustainable funding structure.

The piano duo community will consist of acclaimed piano duos, piano teachers, composers, other instruments players, music publishers, music labels, libraries, volunteers, parents and friends of theirs. This online community will enable interactions and collaborations among the community members in meeting, holding concerts, finding PEM scores, and even developing a new performance such as two pianos, percussions, chamber instruments or a youth orchestra.

KPMF is actively seeking strategic partnerships with art organizations, and engaging volunteers, donors and sponsors in order to build the infrastructure. KPMF will put together an artistic advisory Board inviting world class artists.

A long-term goal for KPMF is to collect and archive PEM pieces from around the world and make them available to the public as a multimedia library.

Our Dream:
'The essence of the Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation is in the dream of the transformation of the beauty of music and its impact on young people in general, especially young performing artists. Piano duos are able to bring music to life in a way that speaks of teamwork that touches souls as well as hearts. It is, after all, the "Big smiles on the children's faces," whether watching, hearing, or playing, that is most important in this endeavor. They transmit the inspiration and excitement from one team to another, from one generation to another, and from one country to another.' Alex Kurosawa.

www.kpmff.org

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