Music

Rachel Sachiko Mercer

Described as a “pure chamber musician” (Globe and Mail) creating “moments of pure magic” (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across five continents. Grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel is cellist of Ensemble Made In Canada, the Mercer-Park Duo, the AYR Piano […]

Keri Latimer

Keri Latimer is a Japanese/Irish/Canadian songwriter, film composer and front woman of the band Leaf Rapids from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Live performances include guitar, vocals and theremin which are looped into haunting layers. Her music emanates from a sensibility that crosses genres and blends disparate styles. Her songwriting often incorporates stories inspired by her ancestors who […]

Camille Kiku Belair

Camille Kiku Belair is a Toronto based composer, classical guitarist, artist and writer. Interested in working with field recordings, experimenting with mixed media within visual arts is also a large part of their practice. Articles have appeared in the WholeNote Magazine. They are currently pursuing an MFA in Composition and Experimental Sound Practices at California […]

Lily Ide

Ritsuko Lily Ide was a popular Nisei singer in Vancouver in the late 1930s and early 1940s who performed at community dances and had professional singing engagements in eastern Canada. She passed away in Slocan in 1943.

Lily Washimoto

Lily Washimoto was a popular Nisei lyric soprano singer in Vancouver in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She performed at the 1939 Vancouver Folk Fest and was a featured soloist on the CBC’s broadcast of part of the program; in 1941 she could be heard on the CBC radio program Sanctuary on Sunday evenings. […]

Wasteland Gardens

Wasteland Gardens: the Japanese Canadian Internment in Canada is a two-part, one-hour radio documentary about the Japanese Canadian Internment presented on the CBC Radio show, Ideas. Japanese Canadian artists contributing to this documentary, produced by Karen Levine (the award winning playwright and writer of Hana’s Suitcase) were Terry Watada (narrator and script consultant), Takeo Yamashiro […]

Linz Kenyon

Lindsay ‘Linz’ Kenyon is a writer, composer, actor, and musician. He has released four albums, published poems and stories, acted in film, theatre, and radio, and written many plays. Kenyon grew up on a cattle ranch in British Columbia, and has used his wrangling skills in a few theatre productions. He has written, performed, and […]

Sally Nakamura

Satoshi (Sally) Nakamura was born on Powell Street in Vancouver. He enjoyed a varied artistic life as a singer, actor and entertainer. In Vancouver, he took voice training with Gideon Hicks, a well-known baritone, conductor, and music teacher. He also loved to sing popular songs and would entertain at the Japanese language school. He could […]

Bruce Tatemichi

Bruce was born in Montreal in 1953, and began piano lessons at five years old. In high school he first studied the clarinet, and soon after the saxophone. Along the way, he taught himself how to play the drums, bass and the flute. Bruce is a jazz musician, but he plays many styles including classical, […]

Sam Furuya

Sam Furuya was a Nisei singer who was active before, during, and after the Second World War. His trademark song was Someone to Watch Over Me, and he settled in Toronto after the war.

Roy Kusano

Roy Kusano is a Sansei country-folk singer who was billed as the ‘Yodelling Cowboy.’ He was active in the 1960s era of the Yorkville Village in Toronto, and well-known for his rendition of Gordon Lightfoot’s Steel Rail Blues. He is also a past president of the Toronto Buddhist Church.

Kumano

Kumano was an early synth music artist who released an album in 1980 called simply Kumano. His father was Roy Kumano. His song I’ll Cry for You made the US and UK dance charts. The song peaked at 24 on the US dance charts.

Harry Kumano

Harry Kumano was a Nisei singer and actor. An active member of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, he is well known as the founder, director, and conductor of the Sansei Choir. He also did film work, appearing in several commercials. He once had an ambition to ‘play all the Buddhist churches up and […]

Sansei Choir

The Sansei Choir was a group formed at Toronto’s Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) in 1964 by Harry Kumano. The choir originally contained children from the ages of 5-12, and was formed from a desire to provide a social outlet for young Sansei in Toronto. They performed at most events at the JCCC, and some […]

The Embers

The Embers were a Nisei rock ensemble that performed at many Japanese Canadian community picnics and dances. They featured musician Yo Mori (an NAJC Toronto stalwart), and were particularly well-known for their rendition of Kansas City.