A unique concert dedicated to breath—as sound, as discipline, as transformation. Shakuhachi master Marek Kimei Matvija and vocalist Annabelle Plum present a program that brings together 19th-century Japanese honkyoku with contemporary international works for voice and bamboo flute. Guest performers include shakuhachi player Adam Robinson and accordionist Simone Baron.
TICKETS
Breathe the Sound presents an evening for shakuhachi and voice that moves between traditional Japanese honkyoku repertoire and contemporary compositions. The program spans the 19th-century Zen meditation piece Echigo Reibo and the classic duet Shika no Tone to modern works by Makoto Moroi, Vlastislav Matoušek, and Anna Vtípilová, whose Whale Song receives its US premiere. Shakuhachi performer Marek Kimei Matvija performs with vocalist Annabelle Plum, joined by New York–based musicians Adam Robinson (shakuhachi) and Simone Baron (accordion), creating a focused sound world that explores breath, resonance, and the expressive possibilities of bamboo flute and voice.
Calligraphy for Voice and Bamboo Vlastislav Matoušek, 1997 (15′) Annabelle Plum – voice Marek Kimei Matvija – shakuhachi
Echigo Reibo traditional shakuhachi koten honkyoku, 19th century arr. Saikawa Baiō (10′) Marek Kimei Matvija – shakuhachi
Shika no Tone Kinko-ryū honkyoku (11′) Marek Kimei Matvija – shakuhachi Adam Robinson (New York) – shakuhachi
Chikurai Goshō Makoto Moroi, 1964 (18′) Marek Kimei Matvija – shakuhachi
Whale Song (US Premiere) Anna Vtípilová, 2021 (15′) Annabelle Plum – extended vocal techniques Marek Kimei Matvija – shakuhachi Simone Baron (New York) – accordion
Featuring: Annabelle Plum (voice), Marek Kimei Matvija (shakuhachi), Simone Baron (accordion), Adam Robinson (shakuhachi).
Program length: 90 minutes
Annabelle Plum is a singer and vocal performer working at the intersection of contemporary music, improvisation, and jazz. Her practice focuses on experimental and extended vocal techniques, timbre, graphic scores, and spatial performance. She collaborates with Czech and international composers and has premiered works by Michael Mantler, Petr Hora, and Patrik Kakao.
She studied Theatre Arts at Brown University (USA) and Performance Design and Practice at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Based in Prague since 2009, Plum teaches and leads vocal workshops and performs with the ensembles KlangWesen, Quarter to Three, and Topos Kolektiv.
Marek Kimei (貴明) Matvija is a filmmaker and shakuhachi performer specializing in contemporary, improvised, and traditional Japanese music. He studies the instrument with virtuoso Kifū Mitsuhashi and in 2017 received the title natori shihan of the Kifū-kai along with the performance name Kimei. He performs with the microtonal ensemble Quarter to Three and the site-specific music ensemble Topos Kolektiv and is a founding member of the NEIRO Association for Expanding Arts.
Matvija graduated from FAMU at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and has performed across Europe, the United States, and Japan, including the National Theatre in Tokyo (2023) and the World Shakuhachi Festival USA (2025). Since 2022 he has taught shakuhachi at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU) and serves as artistic director of the International Shakuhachi Festival Prague.
Simone Baron is a pianist, accordionist, improviser, and composer whose music moves between tradition and the avant-garde. Her work brings together improvisation, chamber music, and experimentation, exploring new sonic possibilities.
She studied at the Oberlin Conservatory and Tel Aviv University and has performed at festivals and concert venues across Europe and the Americas. She has received numerous grants and residencies from organizations including Chamber Music America, South Arts, the Hambidge Center, Strathmore Foundation, Art OMI, and the Banff Centre. In 2016 she founded Arco Belo, a chamber ensemble dedicated to genre-crossing music. Simone is a Victoria Artist and performs on a Poeta XB accordion.
Adam Robinson is a New York–based shakuhachi player who has studied the instrument with Ralph Samuelson since 2012 and in Japan with Tokumaru Jumei and Yamato Shudo. He also studies Japanese ensemble music with koto and shamisen musicians Sumie Kaneko (Yamada School) and Yoko Hiraoka (Ikuta School).
Robinson attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he studied improvisation and tenor saxophone, and later pursued studies in Conceptual Harmony with La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, and Jung Hee Choi. He is an original member of Gamin’s Unforgotten Song project, which began as an artist residency at Brandeis University in 2019. Robinson teaches shakuhachi at Columbia University, performs with the Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir, leads the Brooklyn Shakuhachi Club, and appears regularly in performances across the New York metropolitan area.
