Kato Hideki & Zeena Parkins

Friday, February 2nd at 8pm, ISSUE and AvanTokyo are pleased to present the solo US debut of Japanese cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto. The evening will also feature a duo presentation from musicians Kato Hideki & Zeena Parkins, which will take place at Brooklyn Music School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Kato Hideki & Zeena Parkins will premiere their new composition Into the Periphery, where they expose displacement and the blurred lines between what we hear and what we think we hear. Using a wide range of sounds–foley, mundane objects, synthesis and string instruments–they create an interplay between materials and awareness as they toggle between the touch/sound of objects and the manipulation of sounds mediated through microphones and electronic processes. Their collaboration began in 1994 when Kato joined Parkins’ band No Safety’s for their European tour. Parkins later recorded for Kato’s album “Hope & Despair” in 1995. In 2010, they performed at the Whitney Museum of American Art as a part of Christian Marclay: Festival.

Kato Hideki is a Japanese-born bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator. His work is truly diverse, with a wide range of forms, subjects and sounds from experimental, ambient, improvisation, soundtrack and sound design. His work includes three albums with Death Ambient (with Ikue Mori and Fred Frith) on Tzadik Records; the solo bass work “Turbulent Zone” using a prime number tuning system; the photography- inspired “Hope & Despair” on Joyful Noise Recordings; and “Tremolo of Joy” based on magical realism. His collaborations include the soundtrack for a documentary film, “The Journey of Monalisa (El viaje de Monalisa)” directed by Nicole Costa; music and sound design for TAKE Dance, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Ballet X; and performances for Christian Marclay: Festival at Whitney Museum of American Art. As a producer, he has worked with Eszter Balint, Chris Cochrane, James Fei, Karen Mantler and Stew. An album, “THE WALK” (a collaboration with Kramer) will be released on Shimmy-Disc in fall 2024. Kato teaches at NYU Tandon School of Engineering / Integrated Media & Design. www.katohideki.com

Electro-acoustic composer/improviser, educator, Zeena Parkins is a pioneer of contemporary harp practices. Using expanded techniques, object preparations, and electronic processing she has redefined the instrument’s capacities. Concurrently, Parkins self-designed a series of one-of-a-kind electric instruments. She leans into the harp’s physical limitations pushing its boundaries and impossibilities. In her compositions, Parkins utilizes collections, historic proximities, tactility, spatial configurations and movement. Sonic presence and personality is revealed in explorations of timbral shifts, feedback, gestural configurations, and perceptual residues. Parkins has been awarded three Bessies: NY Dance and Performance Awards, for her groundbreaking work with dance. She has been devoted to her ongoing investigation and collaborative work with dance since the mid-80’s in NYC. Recent collaborations include: a dance film by Eleanor Bauer, NORA the Many (2022) a 2-part program which included a durational installation and a theatrical performance, premiered at the Walker Art Center (2022) with choreographer/dancer, Heather Kravas and visual artist Victoria Haven, Solid Objects/VOIDS, and Neil Greenberg’s Besty, which premiered at La Mama last fall. Last summer Parkins released her long-term project LACE on Chaikin, to critical acclaim. Parkins taught at Mills College from 2011 and until May/2023, when Mills was abruptly purchased by Northeastern University. She held the endowed chair, Darius Milhaud Professor of Composition, in the Music Department.