Contemporary East: Kaoru Watanabe / Yoon-Ji Lee — live event

Contemporary East presents composer and instrumentalist Kaoru Watanabe performing his work Incense, alongside the world premiere of a new piece by Guggenheim Fellow Yoon-Ji Lee. This evening brings together leading voices in contemporary improvisation, exploring the intersection of Eastern aesthetics and experimental sound. Kaoru Watanabe’s Incense explores the dual uses and meanings of its title—burning and calming, smoldering and healing, provocation and release—as they relate to personal ritual, social conflict, and the act of rising above the tumultuous moment. Watanabe on Japanese flutes, percussion, zithers, and voice interwoven with electronics, Incense becomes a convergence of ancient and modern technologies, sound, and spirit. Yoon-Ji Lee’s new work takes artistic freedom as its compass, navigating reflection, memory, and expression of contemporary society through the lens of Korean and Korean-American perspectives. The piece seeks to reveal universal human sensibilities and emotions through imagination and sound—unfolding in continuously clashing, unsettled sonic textures and the vivid presence of beings through composition, improvisation, and multimedia elements. Incense Kaoru Watanabe Japanese flutes, percussion, zither, voice, electronics New Work by Yoon-Ji Lee (World Premiere) Yoon-Ji Lee electronics, composer Satoshi Takeishi percussion Shoko Nagai piano, accordion Dan Lippel electric, acoustic guitar Leo Chang electronics, piri Bang Geul Han visual art A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing. Founded in 2022 by Yuko Fujiyama, Contemporary East highlights the beauty and depth of Eastern expressions in improvisational music. We seek to cultivate meaningful opportunities for artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines to collaborate and share their work through public programs, while building awareness of aesthetics in Asian-inspired music.

Starts: 2025-12-16T20:00:00Z

Ends: 2025-12-16T22:00:00Z

Where: 509 Atlantic Avenue, New York 11217, United States

Price: $25.0

View Contemporary East: Kaoru Watanabe / Yoon-Ji Lee on Ckord