JAPAN HOUSE 2026 | Music & Ma: The Language between Piano and Sado | Performed by Dr. Makiko Hirata & Ms. Sachiko Okazoe of Omotesenke School | Saturday, September 26, 1:30PM – 4:00PM
JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles presents Music & Ma: The Language between Piano and Sadō at JAPAN HOUSE Salon (Level 5 at Ovation Hollywood) on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 (incl. taxes and etc.) Register Now
Awaken the senses through an afternoon of music, mindfulness, and Japanese tradition. Experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony with Omotesenke tea practitioner Ms. Sachiko Okazoe, followed by a live performance and talk by acclaimed Japanese classical pianist and teacher Dr. Makiko Hirata. Together, the program explores sound, silence, mindfulness, and the Japanese concept of ma, the beauty found in the space between things. The afternoon concludes with freshly prepared matcha and sweets.
Throughout her career, Dr. Hirata has championed music as a source of healing and connection. She considers music a universal language—one that can synchronize our breath and even brainwaves, reminding us that our well-being is inseparable from that of those around us. Silence, too, has a profound role to play. It grounds us in the here and now, inviting us to slow down, and recognize our interconnectedness. Like yin and yang, sound and silence exist in a complementary relationship, creating space for presence, reflection, and connection.
The Japanese tea ceremony, or chanoyu, similarly invites a heightened awareness of the present moment. More than simply the preparation and serving of tea, it is an art form shaped by more than 500 years of tradition, cultivating mindfulness through graceful, intentional movements and an appreciation for beauty in everyday rituals.
Following the tea ceremony, Dr. Hirata will present a performance and talk exploring the healing power of music and the transformative act of listening. Through works by Kōsaku Yamada, Claude Debussy, Johannes Brahms, and others, she will consider music as an innately human practice that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries while fostering empathy, emotional well-being, and connection.
Together, the tea ceremony and musical performance invite us to consider the value of pause, presence, and connection in an age shaped by AI, speed, and efficiency. What might ma, alongside the Western conception of music as the “art of time,” reveal about the importance of slowing down and making space for one another?
The program concludes with freshly prepared matcha and sweets, offering guests an opportunity to linger in the experience through conversation and cultural exchange with Dr. Hirata, the tea practitioners, and fellow attendees.
Program Schedule
*Subject to change
- 1:00 PM | Doors Open
- 1:30 PM | Opening Remarks
- 1:40 PM | Tea Ceremony Demonstration
- 1:50 PM | Performance & Talk by Dr. Makiko Hirata
- 3:30 PM | Q&A and Networking (Matcha tea and sweets served)
- 4:00 PM | Closing Remarks
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Dr. Makiko Hirata
An international pianist with ten released albums and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, Makiko Hirata is “Dr. Pianist,” on a mission to promote the power of music to heal and unite us. She collaborates with scientists to promote the power of music as an overlooked resource to enhance our individual and social well-being. She has taught at New York University, Colburn Conservatory of Music, Rice University, and Lone Star College.
Currently, she serves as an instructor for the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), a staff pianist at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, and a member of the Piano and Wellbeing Institute at Shizuoka University. As a Shigeru Kawai Artist, Dr. Hirata continues to inspire through her performances, teachings, and initiatives, bridging cultures and communities with her musical message. A US-Japan Leadership Program Fellow and a founding member of TEMPO: Music for Climate Action, Dr. Hirata has also been honored as Coeuraj’s 2022 ‘Global Courage Fellow’ for her instrumental role in fostering trust and unity in times of division. musicalmakiko.com/en
Ms. Sachiko Okazoe
Sachiko Okazoe was born in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She attended Hibarigaoka Gakuen from elementary school through high school, where she began studying the Japanese tea ceremony. In 1971, she formally began her training in the Omotesenke school. After graduating from Kobe Shinwa Women’s University (now Kobe Shinwa University), she joined Northwest Airlines, now Delta Air Lines.
Following her marriage, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she raised her family.
After returning to her tea ceremony practice, Okazoe began teaching in 2014 at the encouragement of her teacher. Since then, she has dedicated herself to sharing the traditions of Omotesenke tea ceremony and mentoring more than 20 students.
Since 2012, Okazoe has served as Administrative Director of the Omotesenke Domonkai Southern California Region, helping organize a range of events and programs, including Hatsugama, the first tea gathering of the year, social tea gatherings, the region’s 50th anniversary celebration, and instructional workshops.
In 2023, she was appointed Vice President of the Southern California Region, a position she continues to hold today.
Special Thanks to:
Shigeru Kawai
zenkyu matcha