The objective of the Kurosawa Piano Music Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is to build a fund and to implement various programs such as Community Development through Piano Duo Music, Performances, Education Programs and a Library for Piano Ensemble Compositions.

What's Happening in 2008

The Foundation started in January 2008 and assembled a working Board of Directors. The Foundation is actively pursuing partnerships with prominent arts organizations and artists so that the Foundation starts making an impact in inspiring young artists and the community from the beginning of the project.

We have sponsored and promoted Sfmf's Young Artists' Piano Duo Concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on January 13, 2008 and increased the awareness of the piano duo genre in the South Bay. We sent one young piano duo team to this event from San Jose. It was exciting to see the young artists perform so well to a full house of an enthusiastic audience of approximately 150 people that shared the inspiring experience.

In responce to a great response on the idea to bring the excitement of piano duo music to Silicon Valley, we held the first Young Artists' Piano Duo Concert at Tateuchi Hall at Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View on May 4, 2008. Eleven young piano duos, age 9-18, did a stunning job performing pieces from 18th to 21st century. Attended were approximately 160 people, including performers, teachers, parents, composers, friends and volunteers.

The goal for 2008 includes the implementation of the first and second Young Artists Piano Duo Concert in Silicon Valley, and the first International Piano Music Festival in Silicon Valley by inviting world-class piano duo artists. We will build a Governing Board for a sustainable funding structure and for recruiting influenial Board members.

Board of Directors

Alex KurAlex Kurosawa, Presidentosawa heads up the KPMF as President, together with the Board of Directors. He brings in broad experience in starting and managing both profit and non-profit ventures. His for-profit executive experience was built in both public and private companies, such as VLSI Technology, IKOS Systems, and Sonics. He is currently General Partner, Start-up101 Ventures, a venture fund for technology start-ups. He co-founded a non-profit organization in Japan to mentor entreprenuers and angelm investors. He now serves as a Board member at Kiwanis Cub of San Jose. His technology background will help building a library of piano ensemble music utilizing multimedia communications. His investment experience will be instrumental in building and managing an endowment. He maintains passion for children education and a five-decade long love for piano music.

Catherine Angelo is an experienced performing artist as a member of The Angelo Piano Catherine Angelo: Director of the BoardDuo. The Duo's international career includes performances in Australia, England, Italy, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, the Ukraine and the United States. The Duo founded the San Francisco International Music Festival organization (Sfmf) with the goal of launching a San Francisco-based international festival that will capture the spirit of the European and Russian festivals and highlight the seldom-heard piano duo genre. She will use her extensive performance and production experience, and festival management to present world class concerts and educational programs for the benefit of young artists and the Silicon Valley community.

Dr. Sondra Clark, is a graduate of The Julliard School (B.M.) and Stanford University (Ph.D) Dr. Sondra Clark, Director of the Boardand was a long-time member of the Music Faculty at San Jose State University. She received many awards for her music, which ranges from solo to duet/duo to symphonic works, including ASCAP awards for the last six years. Her works are premiered and recorded in Russia and the US. Her experience as master class teacher, composer for duo/duet pieces and duo pianist will play a key role in helping young artists and the Silicon Valley community in discovering and exploring and performing the rich repertoire of piano ensemble music.

John Fukasawa, Secretary, is a community volunteer and leader with an interest John Fukasawa: Director of the Boardin leadership development opportunities for youth and young adults. He has a legal education, and has practiced in Santa Clara County as a specialist in Family Law for over 30 years. He has decades of experience in organizing and planning community service projects for children and young adults. His experience in helping establish other 501(c)(3) organizations, and legal background will help provide a solid backbone for the organization. He also has broad experience gained from serving on other non-profit boards, and governing bodies.  He is an Elder at Presbyterian Church of San Jose.

YYoko Kurosawa: Director of the Boardoko Kurosawa is a graduate of Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo with a couple of degrees; a Bachelor of Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education. She also studied with Machi Adachi for her voice. She will oversee education programs based on her extensive teaching experience in Japan for 13 years and in the US for 17 years. Also being a duo pianist, an accompanist, an organist, a church pianist and a soprano singer, she has been coaching her students with emphasis on teamwork in piano ensemble music as well.

Artistic Advisors

Vivian FungVivian Fung began her professional composition career at age nineteen and built up an impressive body of compositions commissioned and performed by such ensembles as the Seattle Symphony, San José Chamber Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, New England Philharmonic, American String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Music From China, and American Opera Projects, to name a few. Her compositions range from orchestral, chamber, piano, vocal/choral, and opera pieces. Being well informed about the state of the art, her unique ideas and insight about two piano music composition will help us discovering and exploring the transforming beauty of the piano ensemble music further more.  

Chih-Long Hu

Chih-Long Hu has received numerous honors including winning the Taipei Philharmonic Piano competition, the National Taipei Concert Hall Arising Star, and the prestigious Chi-Mei Artist Award. He has won prizes at the Russian Music International Piano Competition in San Jose, California as well as in Italy, Andorra and Japan. Hu received his Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Michigan under the instruction of Arthur Greene. Hu has performed as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician extensively in Asia, Europe, and North America. Hu is currently on the faculty of East Tennessee State University.

Yumi Tayama received B.A. and M. A. degrees from Musashino Academia of Musicae in Japan. She performed in Tokyo, Yokohama, San Francisco Bay Area and Europe including Salzburg, Poland, London, and in Manchester, England as a soloist and accompanist. Her recent performances include Sopianos (www.sopianos.com) Piano Duo Concert and a concert for families with young children. Her experience as piano soloist/duo pianist, teaching skills and extensive knowledge about the works by Japanese composers will help producing unique workshops, performance and a library.

Establishing the Foundation

We are looking for funding for long-term to build the foundation for the piano ensemble music education and awareness, community development and library establishment. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting project, please contact us.

Foundation Architects $25,000 - $49,999
Foundation Columns $50,000 - $99,999
Foundation Beams $100,000 - $249,999
Foundation Arches $250,000 - $499,999
Foundation Keystones $500,000 - $999,999

Foundation Cornerstones $1,000,000

We are constructing the Governing Board of up to 25 members in order to represent the interest of the public and to maintain certain governing functions, such as audit committee, compensation committee, recruiting committee, fund raising committee, and governance committee. We would welcome experienced executives or experts on corporate issues to establish the foundation of the public foundation. Please contact us for further discussion.