Upcoming Events
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto
Events 2026
Thursday September 17, 2026, 6:45p, Town Fare Café, Shirley with her son, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong
Performances to accompany exhibit “BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration” https://museumca.org/es/press/oakland-museum-of-california-announces-behere-1942-a-new-lens-on-the-japanese-american-incarceration/
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 The Annex Music Sessions, El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company
Address: 10387 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530 Free https://www.sunjams.org/about-5
Saturday October 24, 2026 Rothenberg at the Huntington, San Marino, CA 91108
with Japanese traditional dancer and Kabuki expert Bando Hiroshichiro aka Nakamura Gankyo and student, with Kineya Yasoyo, Yuki Yasuda, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong, Emily Kazuchiye Imazumi and Nanami Fujimaki. I’ll be performing with koto and shamisen musicians from SoCal and NorCal at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, a one-time only event on Saturday, October 24th, 2026. Nakamura Gankyō will be performing the famous Lion Dance “Kagamijishi”, as well, a dance not performed in Los Angeles for forty years. A special event not to be missed!
Friday October 30, 2026, 6p-7p, re-opening of Yu-me Japanese Garden,
2130 North Alvertn Way, Tucson, AZ 85712 https://tucsonbotanical.org/
Shirley performing with Paul Amiel/shakuhachi
Saturday October 31, 2026, 3:30p-4:30p, re-opening of Yu-me Japanese Garden,
2130 North Alvertn Way, Tucson, AZ 85712 https://tucsonbotanical.org/
Shirley performing with Paul Amiel/shakuhachi
Sunday Dec 20, 2026, Time 1-3pm screening of “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the WWII Internment Camps”, with performance on instruments of the camps, commentary and Q&A, ; Performance w/Shirley and her son, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong, as part of The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) exhibit “BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration”
https://museumca.org/es/press/oakland-museum-of-california-announces-behere-1942-a-new-lens-on-the-japanese-american-incarceration/
Past Events 2026
January 17, 2026 Saturday, Sakura Kai Shinnenkai
January 31, 2026 Saturday, Marin Nakayoshi Club Shinnenkai
February 14, 2026 Saturday 2-4p San Francisco Public Library
Performance and showing of documentary,
“Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the WWII Internment Camps”
Sunday, February 15, 2026 Westfield Valley Fair Mall
Lunar New Year celebrations, performance with Winnie Wong/guzheng master
Performances from 12pm – 4pm by:
Winnie Wong and Jade Ensemble
George Hsu and Daisy You
CSME Youth Ensemble
Shirley Muramoto
Saturday February 21,2026. Lunar New Year atOakland Museum California, 1:35–2:05 pm
Performing Music & Meditation with seiji oda: Drop into this Bay-Area-grown blend of mindfulness and lofi-hyphy beats paired with optional movement and breathing exercises for all levels.
25th Annual Lunar New Year at OMCA: Year of the Horse – Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)
Monday March 2, 2026, 7PM RJ LawCommunity Center, Delta ,Utah
Saturday March 7, 2026 Buddhist Church of Oakland Koto Workshop
The workshops will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
Shirley Muramoto will begin a Koto Workshop at BCO this spring! All levels are welcome – instruments and supplies will be provided.
Please register a week before the class(es) you are interested in by emailing
There is no registration fee, but donations are gratefully accepted.
These are the dates for Spring 2026:
March 7, 2026
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Las Positas College, Livermore, Cherry Blossom Festival, 12:30p-1p koto performance
Saturday, March 21, 2026, Clarendon School Tomodachi Benefit Auction for Clarendon Elementary Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program, from 6pm.
Saturday, April 4, 2026 Free Koto workshop from 2:00 – 4:00 pm., at Oakland Buddhist Church.
Shirley Muramoto and Brian Mitsuhiro Wong will host one more free Koto Workshop at BCO this spring! All levels are welcome – instruments and supplies will be provided.
Please register a week before the class(es) you are interested in by emailing
There is no registration fee, but donations are gratefully accepted.
Thursday, April 9, 2026 SFO Airport Celebrates Cherry Blossoms, Terminal 1, 10a-2p
Saturday, April 18, 2026, Noria Winery, 725A Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA, open to the public
RSVP please
https://partiful.com/e/1gZAKsFTZomUeqCmfbRW
Saturday, April 25, 2026 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, 3:35p-4:15p, Quinlan Center, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto Koto Studio
Saturday, May 2, 2026 Belle Haven Library, Menlo Park, CA 1p-3p, screening of “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the WWII Internment Camps”, and music performance on koto, with Brian Mitsuhiro Wong.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 9AM and 11AM koto performance with Glide Memorial Choir, Glide Memorial Church, 330 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA
Sunday May 17, 2020 5:30 am – Shirley will be interviewed on the channel 11 KNTV, NBC Bay Area show, “Asian Pacific America”, hosted by Robert Handa. Also 6pm COZI TV and NBC Bay Area You Tube Playlist.
Friday, May 22, 2026 performing “The Star Spangled Banner”, Japanese Heritage Day at the SF Giants
Saturday May 30, 2026 7-9 PM Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Concert with Chinese Guzheng master Winnie Wong, “Celebrating the Zither”, which will be held on Sat May 30 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Music and stories of the struggle to keep cultural music alive in Japan, China and the U.S. Admission is free event with registration. Discounts to restaurants at Peony Restaurant and Sakura Restaurants with proof of registration.
June 22-28, 2026 Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, Florida.
Morikami koto workshops for 3rd-12th grades June 22-26, adult workshop on June 27-28 https://morikami.org/event/youth-summer-music-and-culture-camp/
Saturday, July 11, 2026 THE FREIGHT Community Education Festival, Japanese American WWII Incarceration presentation
Saturday August 1, 2026 Obon Festival,
Oakland Buddhist Church
Thursday August 6, 2026, 81st anniversary of atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Peace Day at Berkeley Public Library. Telling of the story of Sadako Sasaki, music and origami folding
Tuesday, August 18, 1pm, presented “Preserving Culture Under Pressure: Japanese American Fight for Identity in WWII American Concentration Camps”, invited by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, special arts integration retreat for music and arts educators from Wyoming and Montana to integrate arts resources into their curriculum, which includes my documentary, “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the WWII Internment Camps”. Dr. Theo Gonzalves, a curator at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC lead this 3-day program.
Saturday and Sunday September 5 and 6, 2026, “Experience Japan”,
Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ
Past Events 2025
January 4, 2025, Performing the national anthem for Golden State Warriors, Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
January 17, 2025, 7pm Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ & Blood Moon Orchestra and Harps of Asia,
Bing Concert Hall, The Studio, Stanford University
In a groundbreaking performance, Võ joins Stanford Live’s celebration of the harp, uniting virtuosos including Hwayoung Shon on the Korean gayageum, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto on the Japanese koto, and Winnie Wong on the Chinese guzheng with her own mastery of Vietnamese dan tranh. This event will showcase all four Asian zithers/harps sharing the stage, promising an evening of unparalleled musical integration and cultural harmony.
https://live.stanford.edu/events/24-25season/studio/van-anh-vanessa-vo-blood-moon-orchestra/
| Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ | Hwayoung Shon | Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto | Winnie Wong |
February, 2025: Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto will be hosting two free koto workshops in February. If you’re interested in learning the koto, have a used koto you’d like evaluated, and learning how music helps in mental health therapy, please sign up on Eventbrite. There will be performances and a chance to play the koto even if you’ve never played. Koto teachers will also be on hand. Registration is required, and lunch is included. Funding support for these events in San Francisco Japantown and San Jose Japantown comes from the Taproot Fellowship and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Buddhist Church of San Francisco, 1881 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 10:30am to 2:00pm
Registration required on Eventbrite by January 24: https://kotoSF.eventbrite.com
Saturday, February 8, 2025
San Jose Betsuin Buddhist Church, 640 North 5th Street, San Jose, CA 11:30am to 3:00pm
Registration required on Eventbrite by January 24: https://kotoSJ.eventbrite.com
Wednesday February 19, 2025, Oakmont Recreation Center, Santa Rosa – Talk and performance re: Music in the Camps
Thursday February 27, 2025 – Celebration of Emperor of Japan’s birthday by Consul General of Japan in SF Yo Osumi and Mrs. Osumi, Nikko Hotel, performing with Emily Kazuchiye Imazumi and Brian Mitsuhiro Wong.
Saturday March 1, 2025 – Performance at San Francisco Japanese Bilingual/Bicultural Fundraiser, SF State
Monday March 10, 2025 6p-7:30p, Cal State San Bernardino, Performing Arts Building, Room 102 Recital Hall – Japanese Distinguished Speaker, “Preserving Culture Under Pressure: Japanese Americans fight for Identity in Internment Camps”; Guest Speaker and koto performer: Madame Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto, Nihon Buyo classical dance Dr. Kirk Kanesaka/Nakamura Gankyo; Q&A Moderator: Dr. Anne McKnight/UC Riverside
Saturday, April 26, 202512:45-1:25, Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, Quinlan Community Center
Pacific Overtures (I’m playing koto and shamisen in the orchestra)
Pacific Overtures: Produced by Kunoichi Productions — Brava for Women in the Arts
Thursday, May 29, 2025 7:30pm – PREVIEW Buy
Friday, May 30, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Saturday, May 31, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Sunday, June 1, 2025 2:00pm Buy
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Thursday, June 5, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Friday, June 6, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Saturday, June 7, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Sunday, June 8, 2025 2:00pm Buy
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Thursday, June 12, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Friday, June 13, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Saturday, June 14, 2025 7:30pm Buy
Sunday, June 15, 2025 2:00pm Buy
June 23-27, June 28-29,2025 Koto classes at Morikami Museum and Gardens, Delray Beach, Florida https://morikami.org/event/japanese-traditional-music-workshops/
Japanese Traditional Music Workshops: Koto with Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto
Guest Artist Youth & Adult Workshops
Learn Traditional Japanese Music
An opportunity for participants to take a Japanese traditional music workshop at the Morikami Museum with a professional musician who has been trained and credentialed. Instruments and sheet music will be provided for use in the workshops.
The program is aimed at beginners for youth (6th -12th grade) & adults, those with no or little experience with the koto, a 13-string zither.
Schedule
Dates
Saturday & Sunday, June 28 & 29, 2025 (2-Day Workshop)
Times
- 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (Youth Grade 6 – 12 and Adult Beginners)
- 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm (Intermediate)
Price
- $200 per session (2-Day Workshop – 6 hours total)
Location
- Morikami Theater
Meet Your Instructor
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto
Koto Instructor
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto is a teacher and performer of the Japanese koto. Shirley received her Shihan with honors and DaiShihan master koto credentials from the Chikushi Kai in Fukuoka, Japan. She has expanded the repertoire of traditional koto music through her jazz fusion group, the Murasaki Ensemble, collaborating, arranging, and composing music for the koto in various styles and genres. Shirley has performed across the U.S., Canada, and Japan. She has collaborated with many artists and performed with amazing musicians and celebrity notables for over 60 years. Shirley researched Japanese traditional performance arts in the World War II concentration camps, inspired by her mother’s experience learning to play the koto from koto teachers at Topaz and Tule Lake camps. In 2012, her project was awarded a National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites grant to turn her decades-long research into a documentary film. Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performance Arts in the World War II Internment Camps premiered in 2014 and aired on public TV and PBS stations in the U.S. and universities here and in Japan. She has continued to perform and teach, and in 2021 curated a program of Japanese koto music with the San Francisco Symphony for their virtual CURRENTS series, conceived by the late Oakland Symphony conductor, Michael Moore.
Shirley taught koto classes at Montclair Elementary, Glenview Elementary, and Japanese school in Oakland, CA, as well as Westlake Middle School in Berkeley, CA, and UC Berkeley for Prof. Bonnie Wade’s ethnomusicology courses.
About Morikami’s Japanese Traditional Music Program
The Japanese Traditional Music Program was established in 2017 with initial and ongoing funding provided by Toshiba International Foundation. There are two components to the yearly summer program: a) summer youth camp: for elementary, middle, and high school students from Grades 3 through 12; b) summer weekend workshops.
The weekend workshops focus on beginner levels of the 13-string koto.
Overview of TIFO Grant Music Program Results:
2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Sponsors
This project is sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
Thu July 10, 2025 12:30-1:30 free Great Lawn Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco
Mission St. between 3rd & 4th Sts.
San Francisco, CA 94103 United States Get Directions
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto and Friends
https://ybgfestival.org/event/shirley-kazuyo-muramoto-2025/
A leading practitioner of the koto, Japan’s national instrument, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto is an Oakland teacher, performer, composer and filmmaker who has devoted her life to expanding the traditional repertoire through collaborations, arrangements, and new compositions. With the highest teaching credentials from Japan, she was chosen by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts for the inaugural Taproot Fellowship’s recognition of traditional artists and culture bearers across the U.S. Devoted to drawing connections between artistic expression and cultural preservation, she created the 2014 documentary film “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the World War II Internment Camps,” a project built on decades of research and created with funds from the National Park Service’s Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
Presented in partnership with:
Sun July 27, 2025 4 PM PayPal Park, San Jose Bay FC NWSL Performance of Star Spangled Banner Shirley Muramoto solo koto and the Japanese national anthem, with Shirley Muramoto koto and Brian Mitsuhiro Wong/shakuhachi at the beginning of game with the Urawa Red Diamonds
Sat Aug 2, 2025 3 PM-3:45 PM Buddhist Church of Oakland, 825 Jackson St.Oakland
Oakland Obon Festival , Shirley Muramoto/koto with Brian Mitsuhiro Wong/shakuhachi/koto,
Rev. Harry Bridge/bass guitar and Nate Ong/drums
Sat August 9, 2025 5:30pm Chase Center SF, Golden State Valkyries vs Los Angeles Sparks, performance of U.S. national anthem by Shirley Muramoto
Sat September 20, 2025 3PM to 5PM ,Buddhist Church of Oakland, 825 Jackson St.Oakland
Desert winds and Strings album release Party.
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto & Brian Mitsuhiro Wong
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto – Koto
Brian Mitsuhiro Wong – Koto and Shakahachi, Japanese Zither and Bamboo Flute
Come discover traditional instruments of Japan! Shirley and her son, Brian, will play koto and shakuhachi, Japanese zither and bamboo flute. They play a range of traditional Japanese pieces to jazz on these instruments.
theannexsessions #elcerrito #javiernavarrettemusic #livemusic #bayarea #Music #kids #family #sunjams #theannex #worldmusic
November 1, 2025 Saturday – performing with Kaoru Kakizakai, shakuhachi master, salon concert, Brisbane, CA
Past Events 2024
Jan. 4th, 2024 Thursday
– SF Japantown Foundation Osechi Ryori Annual Fundraiser https://japantownfoundation.org/events/
Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, UC Berkeley Asian American Studies class, Prof. Lisa Tsuchitani
January, March, April, May 2024
FREIGHT & SALVAGE/BUSD VAPA DEPARTMENT PARTNERSHIP, Golden State of Song, Golden State of Song: Japanese American World War II Concentration Camps Module, with Reiko Iwanaga, Erika Oba, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong and Ray Furuta https://thefreight.org/busd-resources/
Saturday, April 6, 2024 For opening of exhibit,
“Japanese Prints in Transition: From the Floating World to the Modern World”
at Palace of Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA
with Bando Hirohichiro, Kyo no Kai, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto and Brian Mitsuhiro Wong
Japanese Prints in Transition: From the Floating World to the Modern World (famsf.org)
11am – noon History of Kabuki and its influences on our contemporary times (lecture by Prof. Kirk Kanesaka/Bando Hirohichiro) at Gunn Theater
12:30 pm- 1 pm Kyo no Kai performance (Kiyo and Ryan) at Court of Honor
1. Nagauta Shichifukujin Kinoe machi
2. Kiyomoto Sakura
3. Finale
2 pm – 3 pm Kabuki performance (Bando Hirohichiro and Muramoto-Wong Sensei) at Gunn Theater
1. Highlights from Nagauta “Echigo jishi” (Bando Hirohichiro)
2. Koto (Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto)
3. Jiuta “Kurokami” (Bando Hirohichiro, Shirley Muramoto and Brian Mitsuhiro Wong)
Thursday, April 11, 2024 10:00a-2:00p San Francisco Airport celebrates Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturday, April 27, 2024 12:15p-1:00p Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, Quinlan Center
Topaz Art Pilgrimage
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 timeTBA Topaz Museum koto program, with Shirley Muramoto, Brian Wong and Stephanie and Bessie Skeem
Thursday, May 2, 2024, 5:15P-6:00P Koto program, Topaz Art Pilgrimage, University of Utah Art Museum,
Friday, May 3, 2024 6pm Topaz Art Pilgrimage, Salt Lake City Buddhist Temple (program 12p-7p)
January, March, April, May 2024
FREIGHT & SALVAGE/BUSD VAPA DEPARTMENT PARTNERSHIP, Golden State of Song, Golden State of Song: Japanese American World War II Concentration Camps Module, with Reiko Iwanaga, Erika Oba, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong and Ray Furuta https://thefreight.org/busd-resources/
Friday, May 17, 2024 SF Giants Japanese Heritage Day, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto to perform “The Star Spangled Banner”
June 24-28, 2024 Youth Summer Music and Culture Camp, Morikami Museum and Gardens, Delray Beach, Florida https://morikami.org/event/youth-summer-music-and-culture-camp/
June 29-30, 2024 Japanese Traditional Music Program, Morikami Museum and Gardens, Delray Beach, Florida https://morikami.org/event/japanese-traditional-music-workshops/
Sunday, July 21, 2024 Oakland A’s, Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto to perform
“The Star Spangled Banner”
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 3:30p Peace Day, Berkeley Public Library
August 27, 2024 – Piedmont Gardens, Koto performance
September 21, 2024 – Japanese American History and Culture Program, Oakmont Village, Berger Center, Sonoma, CA
October 2024
FREIGHT & SALVAGE/BUSD VAPA DEPARTMENT PARTNERSHIP, Golden State of Song, Golden State of Song: Japanese American World War II Concentration Camps Module, with Brian Mitsuhiro Wong and Javier Navarrette https://thefreight.org/busd-resources
November 24, 2024 – Shirley is one of 25 finalists for the 31st Kenjun Memorial National Koto Festival and the National Koto Competition for 2024, at Kurume City Plaza Kurumeza, 8-1 Mutsumon-cho, Kurume City, Japan.