International piano duo artists from Armenia, Latvia, Japan, Italy and the United States will perform at the Gala Concert

Concert artists will perform on a Grotrian Duo Grand Piano, the only one of its kind in the world

Cupertino, California, May 30, 2008-The Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation (KPMF) is proud to present its premiere event, the First Silicon Valley International Piano Music Festival, a showcase of piano duo and piano ensemble music designed to excite and inspire young artists and the community in Silicon Valley. It is the intention of the KPMF to make this its signature, annual performance event.

In addition to the Gala Concert featuring international recognized professional piano duo artists from Armenia, Latvia, Japan, Italy and the United States, the festival will include two days of intensive educational workshops, master classes and private coaching for young, aspiring piano artists who will present their newly learned skills in the Young Artist's Showcase Concert.

Festival Highlights:

July 2-July 3:             Young Artists' Piano Duo Educational Sessions

Community School of Music and Arts, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, CA. The sessions will include master classes, workshops, private coaching. The session cost includes two tickets for the Gala Concert and participation in the second Young Artists Piano Duo/Duet Concert.

$150 per team. Up to 8 teams admitted.

To apply for the educational sessions visit http://www.kpmff.org/ "Events" or call Alex Kurosawa at 408-725-7521

July 2:                         Gala International Piano Duo Concert

7:00 PM at Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. 5th Street, San Jose

The Riga Piano Duo (Armenia & Latvia); Duo Pianistico di Firenze (Italy)

Noriko & Yuko Kugimoto Duo (Japan); The Peery Piano Duo (US)

The Tayama & Mizuno Duo (Japan/US)

$35 for Adults, $25 for Seniors, $15 for Children 18 and under

To purchase tickets visit http://www.kpmff.org/ "Events" or call Alex Kurosawa at 408-725-7521

July 3:                         Young Artists' Piano Duo/Duet Concert

7:00 PM at Tateuchi Hall at Community School of Music and Arts

Free. Donations welcome.

The Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation-the first piano ensemble music foundation in the United States-focuses on piano duo and piano ensemble music, a genre, which is popular in Europe and Asia, but somewhat neglected in the United States. Atsushi "Alex" Kurosawa created the KPMF to inspire young piano artists, ages 10 to 18, to explore the rich and varied repertoire of the piano duo genre, and to be trained in piano duo artistry, which teaches precision teamwork and provides deeply moving experiences that dramatically impact the lives of all who participate.

"A non-profit such as ours can have a great impact on raising awareness of piano ensemble music and enriching and the lives of young artists and the community," said KPMF president Alex Kurosawa.  Our First Silicon Valley International Piano Music Festival will help put the spotlight on our mission and programs and will help educate the community on the piano duo music genre. This year's Gala Concert features some of the most accomplished, internationally recognized piano duo artists and we are excited to introduce them to Silicon Valley."

An exciting component to the July 2 Gala Concert is the donation of the Grotrian Duo Grand Piano by JB Piano of San Rafael. The artists will play on the the Grotrain Duo Piano, instead of two discrete pianos, a one-of-a-kind instrument specifically designed for the piano duo genre by the Grotrian Piano Company of Braunschwieg, Germany. 

About the Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation:

The mission of the Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation is to inspire and transform young people, especially young performing artists, with the beauty of piano duo music. Piano duos are able to bring music to life in a way that speaks of teamwork that touches souls as well as hearts. It is, after all, the "Big smiles on children's faces," whether watching, hearing, or playing, that is most important in this endeavor. They transmit the inspiration and excitement from one team to another, from one generation to another, and from one country to another.

In fulfillment of its mission, the goals of the KPMF are to:

• Develop a network of acclaimed international piano duos and young piano duo teams, composers, teachers, parents, publishers and piano music lovers and volunteers
• Hold piano duo concerts for the benefit of young artists and the community
• Provide educational opportunities and exchange programs for young artists
• Build a library of valuable and useful piano music ensemble works in the form of scores, audio, and video sources, from around the world

The KPMF is located at 19925 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014  http://www.kpmff.org/