Our Story
Our Story
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LA’s 33 Strings/三十三絃の会, founded and led by Kozue Matsumoto, is a dedicated musical group based in the greater LA area, CA, committed to celebrating, promoting, and sharing Japanese culture through education and performance. The ensemble is proud to be part of such a vibrant local area and excited by every opportunity to engage with our community through music to foster learning and cultural appreciation.
The ensemble began in 2015 at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) as a student activity, where Kozue started introducing students from diverse backgrounds to Japanese culture, traditions, and instruments. All of the ensemble’s current members began their journey with her and fell in love with Japanese music under her knowledgeable and passionate guidance.
The ensemble became an official class at CalArts in 2019, but its activities were not limited to the classroom. The ensemble kept performing off-campus out in the LA communities just because the members loved playing and sharing the music they loved with anyone.
The ensemble has amassed many passionate students who call the group family.
“Our ensemble has grown into a close-knit family with a unified love of music, committed to sharing Japanese arts with new audiences and students,”
“Learning how to play the koto encouraged me to rediscover what it means to be a part of the wider AAPI community,”
The ensemble have become independent from CalArts in 2024 when the school decided that it would no longer fund the ensemble. The news was shocking, but it didn’t stop the ensemble. The members immediately started fundraising such as a Matsuri style festival and a gala event, and their effort allowed the ensemble to have enough resources to start running on their own.
“We deserve to exist, and we deserve to be successful with what we have built, not have it taken away. We’re not going anywhere soon.”
The ensemble members have devoted years to honing their skills on their instruments. Through their performances, they have formed close ties with communities across Santa Clarita and Los Angeles, reaching audiences at libraries, gardens, schools, community centers, and festivals.
Our Mission
Our Mission
At LA’s 33 Strings, we celebrate Japanese culture through musical performances and offering educational programs. Our mission is to inspire appreciation, preserve traditions, and share the art and history of Japanese music to audiences and learners worldwide.
From The Community
From The Community
“Our community members are very fortunate to have Kozue Matsumoto and the Japanese Ensemble perform for us and share Japanese music culture with us... She continues to perform for our senior citizens on our annual Respect for Elders Day...our Awards Dinner to honor our outstanding volunteers...[and] our annual Cultural Festival in June. We are extremely grateful that Kozue joined our community center to share her expertise and provide cultural experience for our community members.”
— A President of a Japanese Community Center
“It is rare to come across a Japanese music program that is as comprehensively multi genre as [the] Japan Ensemble, with its teaching of classical, court, folk, populist music of many eras...In service of education, culture, and justice, Japan Ensemble deserves to have a dignified place in the community.”
— Coordinator at a Church
“Throughout the program, the group and music had the viewers watching and captivated with the performance...Whenever there was a break between songs, the audience was full of applause and eager for more. The CalArts Japanese Ensemble created an environment that made the viewers engaged with the music, the environment, and the performance. Additionally, throughout the program, performers shared about the music and the performance. The interactions shifted the program from something static to a dynamic and educational offering...the performance demonstrated to visitors that the Garden is committed to offering unique and authentic Japanese programs and celebrating Asian culture.”
— Program Coordinator at a Japanese Garden
What does 33 mean?
What does 33 mean?
33 is the sum of the string numbers of the instruments we use. The koto has 13 strings, the shamisen has 3 strings, and the bass koto has 17 strings. When it's all added up, 13 + 3 + 17 = 33. This is where 33 came from :)
Artistic Director
Artistic Director
Kozue Matsumoto
Born and raised in the Tohoku (東北) area in Japan and having lived in Tokyo as well, Kozue has been in the Los Angeles area since 2014. She has played the koto since she was three years old under Ikuta-ryu (生田流) Miyagi-kai (宮城会) and holds a semi-master title (準師範). She has also played the shamisen and the shinobue since she was small.
In North America, she has been collaborating with various musicians and movement, visual, installation, and other artists. Along with collaborative art projects, she has performed as a soloist at Genshin Impact Symphony Concert at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles as well as in Chicago in 2023 and 2024. She has also contributed her koto sounds to Shogun (TV series released in 2024 from Disney on Hulu), Ghost of Tsushima (a PlayStation game released in 2020 from Sony), and other video games/TV series.
She has been invited as a guest lecturer by schools in the USA and Japan and also travels throughout the USA for lectures, master classes, and workshops. Such schools and institutions include but are not limited to the Consulate General of Japan, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, Washington State University, Keio University (Japan), and California Institute of the Arts.
For more information, please visit her website: kotosounds.com
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Chair
Sarah Quon
Secretary
Susan Xie
Treasurer
Shoshi Watanabe
Artistic Director
Kozue Matsumoto
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