Concertgoers who attended the Verde Valley Voices Spring show at Mingus Union High School on Saturday, May 4, had a chance to hear a unique string instrument from Japan called the koto, thanks to Sedona’s own Misuzu Kitazumi.
Originally from Japan, Kitazumi decided upon completion of junior high school that she wanted a better education than what she had been receiving, and enrolled in a boarding school in California, later earning a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and a Master of Music degree in the same field.
“I was born and raised in Japan, until junior high. I realized the Japanese educational system is not quite as good as the American [system]. So I decided to come by myself,” she said. “I moved to California, where I kind of rediscovered my connections to music. I applied to the California Institute of the Arts and got my bachelor degree, and continued studying for my master’s at the University of Redlands.”
For the full story, see the Wednesday, May 15, edition of The Camp Verde Journal or the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
