Miyama McQueen-Tokita

Venue: ANNEX

Vancouver New Music presents Parallel 08: Miyama McQueen-Tokita

Both and Neither

Koto and bass koto player Miyama McQueen-Tokita brings the rich traditions of Japanese music into dialogue with contemporary composition, free improvisation, and experimental sound. Her work combines influences from Japanese traditional music, classical, jazz, folk, and alternative music. Through this synthesis, she has cultivated a distinctive artistic voice that connects cultures and musical worlds. Grounded in the expressive traditions of classical koto performance while embracing innovation, McQueen-Tokita reimagines new possibilities for the koto by treating it as an instrument for sonic discovery, rather than solely for melodic performance, and redefines the koto’s role in contemporary music, expanding its repertoire and artistic potential.

In this eighth edition of the PARALLELS series, McQueen-Tokita leads Both and Neither, a multi-day project that concludes with a live performance at the ANNEX. Combining koto and an ensemble of local vocalists from the Nikkei community, this project emphasizes collaboration, cultural exchange, and process-based creation unfolding through workshops, rehearsals, and a final performance.

VNM’s PARALLELS series brings internationally renowned artists together with local musicians to create new works that are specific to the time, places, and people involved in their creation. Each instalment of this series offers a multi-day workshop that provides participants hands-on learning and creative exploration in collaboration with established artists. The workshop culminates in a collaborative performance by the artist and participants.