Earth Celebration 2023, the 36th edition of Japan’s acclaimed arts and music festival, will take place from August 18 to 20 on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, with tickets now available through the English-language reservation page, by phone or via Japan-based ticket resellers. Hosted by the world-famous Kodo taiko ensemble and…
“When I quit university, I felt that the steel pan would bring me opportunities,” Utena Kobayashi recalls. “For me, it just wasn’t fun studying classical music to perform it with others like a disciplined army. I realized that I just like to listen to classical music I still do now,” she tells
Metropolis with a laugh.
“Unconventional” is a fitting adjective for Kobayashi. Everything from her life choices to the genre of music she plays and the red shock of hair she sports when meeting
Metropolis all show she is not afraid of standing out, or shy to embrace her own way in life. And, as her debut album