Expand your summer with exquisite guitar music at Franklin Park June 11

Hiroya Tsukamoto, an innovative guitarist and composer of Japanese guitar music—which fuses folk, jazz, and world music—will perform at the Franklin Park Arts Center on Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m.

 Born and raised in Japan, in 2000 Tsukamoto received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music and came to the U.S.

According to the Franklin Park website, “Tsukamoto’s instrumental abilities are indeed breathtaking and astounding, but his performances are so much more than that. He has the unique capability of engaging an audience through a personable and genuine approach that transfixes … and almost transcends his capabilities as a guitarist.

“Audience members will be mesmerized; Tsukamoto plays with an effortless skill on the guitar and a repertoire that will have you traveling the world, not to mention experiencing new sounds with his own compositions.”

Said Tsukamoto, “When I was in middle school … my mother, who was a school teacher, found a used guitar at a school bazaar and brought it home. It was an acoustic guitar … so hard to play, but I didn’t know those things, so I kept playing it.

“Since my teenage years, I have been playing a wide variety of musical styles from rock, folk, pop, blues, and jazz influenced by my friends and teachers. But, about ten years ago, I decided to play music I can feel naturally, play with honesty, and started playing solo music combining storytelling.

“I also use a loop pedal (real time recorder) to create multiple layers with voice and guitar so that I can get a kind of orchestra sound by myself.

“… my mother plays traditional Japanese string instruments such as Shamisen and also Koto which is a long instrument with 13 strings …”

Tickets range from $8 to $15 per person.  For details go to:  https://franklinparkartscenter.org/event/hiroya-tsukamoto.