April 18th saw the return of the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble to Lake Superior State University for a tremendous night of traditional Japanese drums and music which helped every one of us catch a golden glimpse of the Land of the Rising Sun. The Ensemble attracted a great deal of student attention as demonstrated by the fact that the free tickets given away at the Student Life office were quickly distributed and the auditorium in the Arts Center was nearly full as the lights dimmed in anticipation of an incredible night of music.

The drummers, dressed in Japanese attire, played traditional instruments to melodies as old as the cherry blossoms coupled with pieces composed by members of the Ensemble within the last few years. The drum’s haunting melodies reverberated across the Arts Center bringing the hearer into a different place into the enchanting aura of Japan. Each of the musical pieces was a work of genius combining the old with the new, as musical pieces originating in the rural mountainsides were blended with an imitation of steam engines.

Bringing in the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble is one of the many places that LSSU is improving and developing diversity and culture on campus. The Performing Arts have become for many a shining example of how we can bring in new and exciting aspects of cultures from around the world to what some may consider to be the least likely of areas. These great artists have certainly helped me gain a better appreciation for their style of music and I hope to see them again next year as they once again wow us all in their style and performance.

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