Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-08-27
photo credit: Jun Tazawa
Akiko Yano, Sam Amidon and Hiromitsu Agatsuma will come together for a one-night-only performance, Rooted: Folk Music of Japan & America, on September 18 at Japan Society in New York City. The concert will celebrate the intersection between the folkloric music cultures of Japan and America, centering around internationally acclaimed Japanese pop and jazz pianist Yano in collaboration with American folk musician Amidon and Tsugaru-shamisen virtuoso Agatsuma.
The concert will primarily consist of duets, with Yano and Agatsuma rekindling their celebrated Yano et Agatsuma pairing. The electrifying min’yo — Japanese folk music — project first came to life more than a decade ago at Japan Society in New York City before going on to tour regularly and internationally in the years since.
Also, in their first time together onstage, Yano will welcome Amidon, a fellow traveler in musical reinvention, to breathe new life into the Appalachian and American songbook. Agatsuma and Amidon both hail from traditional folk song backgrounds and have proven themselves phenomenally agile and creative artists.
The first-time joining of this collective and their premiere performance as a trio promises to bring together three distinct musical traditions in a single evening, moving between Japanese folk music, Appalachian song and the improvisational instincts each artist has developed throughout their respective careers.
Rooted: Folk Music of Japan & America
September 18, 2026
Japan Society
New York, NY
Featuring:
Akiko Yano Sam Amidon Hiromitsu Agatsuma
For more information and tickets, visit japansociety.org.
