JAL Otobutai 2006 to be held at Kyoto’s Tofuku-ji Temple

The JAL Group sponsored annual musical performance of Otobutai (Sound Stage), performed in the grounds of Japan’s most historic temples and held annually since 1989, will be staged in Kyoto on Saturday September 9 at the Rinzaishu Daihonzan, Tofuku-ji (head temple of the Tofukuji School of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism).

Presented under the theme, “East Meets West,” the JAL Otobutai is a unique blend of western and eastern music. Staged at a different temple each year, it presents first class artists from Japan and abroad in a unique collaboration of music and performances enjoyed the world over. At the top of the bill this year are the talented Japanese popular singer Ayaka Hirahara and Wu-Rujun, the top performer of the Jinghu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. They are supported by other performers including Italian classical tenor Marco Berti, The Parma Opera Ensemble, a China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe and the AI-OI orchestral group, featuring Japanese traditional instruments played by graduates of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

The stage for this year’s performance, Tofuku-ji, was built during the Kamakura period (1192-1333). It has the largest Buddhist temple ceiling in Kyoto. It took 19 years from 1236 to 1255 to build. The 2006 JAL Otobutai will feature two evening performances.

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