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Miya Masaoka (born 1958) is a musician and composer who performs on the
Japanese zither-like instrument the koto, often augmenting it with string
preparations and electronic triggers (as in her "Koto Monster", where
additional laser beam "strings" hover over the koto).
She is known for creative, improvisational technique, and a sensibility
that combines experimental Western approaches with the tradition of the
koto.
Her compositions have included works for large ensembles sometimes with
unusual sound sources such as hives of bees, or the amplified sounds of
human bodies (brain waves, heart beat, etc). One notable piece was performed
outdoors in a plaza on San Francisco's sometimes unsavory Market Street,
utilizing an ensemble of dozens of musicians, a pair of male and female
exotic dancers, and taped interviews with sex workers: "What's the
Difference Between Stripping and Playing the Violin?" An impressive blend of
musical composition, and site-specific conceptual art.
She has also done performance art utilizing insects (madagascar beetles,
bees) crawling across her body (references to the Yoko Ono film "Fly").
Miya Masoka is known as one of the more unique members of the Bay Area
Improv Scene (sometimes also called the Creative/New Music scene) in the San
Francisco area.
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