Printer Friendly Version Pianist Aisa Ijiri's concert at the Embassy (16 April 2021) @ 16 April 2021 10:06 AM

In cooperation with the Association for the Promotion of Music Cooperation between Serbia and Japan, led by the spouse of former Japanese Ambassador to Serbia Mrs. Etsuko Tsunozaki, a gift from the Japanese concert pianist Ms. Aisa Ijiri was presented to the Embassy on April 15. At the piano concert that followed, Ms. Aisa Ijiri perfromed the works of Serbian composer Aleksandar Vujic, as well as Robert Schumann and specially for this occassion composed composition "Peace" by the British pianist and female composer Melanie Spanswick.

Charge d'affaires a.i. Ms. Ivana Golubovic-Duboka in her introductory speech expressed hope that, after the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic calms down, the Embassy will be able to continue organizing concerts and promoting cultural exchange between Serbia and Japan. She especially thanked the Japanese pianist for the decision to donate the artwork of her grandmother Sumiko Takei "Winter Song" to the Embassy, ​​a calligraphy on washi golden paper, which also served as an inspiration for the composition "Sakura" which Ms. Aisa Ijiri premiered in Belgrade at the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment in 2014. Ms. Aisa Ijiri was grateful for another opportunity to be a guest at the Embassy after the concert she held in November 2019 together with the piano duo from Serbia LP Duo (Sonja Lončar and Andrija Pavlović). She especially expressed hope that her connection with Serbia, where she has been performing regularly since 2013 and which she considers her second country, will continue to strengthen. The author of the work, Sumiko Takei, pianist Ms. Aisa Ijiri and Ms. Ivana Golubovic-Duboka, officially presented the gift received by the Embassy to the guests.

Embassy guests also had the opportunity to taste the wines of the "Aleksandrovic" winery, as well as Serbian delicacies.

Ms. Aisa Ijiri is the official artist of Steinway & Sons, the artistic director of the Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA) and an honorary representative of the Royal College of Music in London. She has performed in Belgrade several times and collaborates with numerous pianists and artists from Serbia.