The Fresno Philharmonic, and music director Rei Hotoda, are pleased to present the launch of Cultural Crossroads, a new multi-season series of commissions exploring and celebrating the diverse cultures of the Fresno region. The inaugural Cultural Crossroads project features a first-time collaboration with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (GLFCAM). Called Cultural Crossroads: Kisetsu (“seasons” in Japanese), the centerpiece of this first project is the commission of a new work by composers Hitomi Oba and Erika Oba based on the life and writings of David “Mas” Masumoto, a Central Valley writer and organic peach farmer.
Watch the video below to learn more and see a sneak peek about the commission process!
Hitomi Oba
Composer, Saxophonist, Educator
Hailed by the LA Times as a “powerfully inventive” and “remarkably versatile L.A. musician with a penchant for crossing all over the musical place,” saxophonist and composer Hitomi Oba’s work emphasizes the integration of improvisation with pre-composed music.
Erika Oba
Composer, Pianist/Flutist, Educator
Erika Oba is a composer, pianist/flutist, and educator based in the SF Bay Area. As a composer she has written works for big band, small jazz ensembles, chamber groups, dance and theater. She is active as a performer on both piano and flute, and performs with her own groups the Erika Oba Trio, Ends Meat’ Catastrophe Jazz Ensemble, Rice Kings, and The Sl(e)ight Ensemble.
Gabriela Lena Frank
Composer, Director of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (GLFCAM)
Currently serving as Composer-in-Residence with the storied Philadelphia Orchestra and included in the Washington Post’s list of the most significant women composers in history (August, 2017), identity has always been at the center of composer/pianist Gabriela Lena Frank’s music.
David “Mas” Masumoto
Sansei / 3rd Generation Farmer
Mas Masumoto is an organic peach and grape farmer and the author of twelve books including: Epitaph for a Peach, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Heirlooms, Letters to the Valley, Four Seasons in Five Senses, Harvest Son, Country Voices, and Silent Strength.
Rei Hotoda
Music Director, Fresno Philharmonic
Now entering her eighth season as Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic, conductor Rei Hotoda has been hailed as an inexhaustible dynamo with a deep commitment to reimagining the 21st century concert experience.