US bluegrass youth heading to Japan

US bluegrass youth heading to Japan
Posted By John On 19th June 2008

Every summer, the town of Kawaguchi in Japan hosts an International Exchange program for young musicians. The young players stay with host Japanese families and are exposed to Japanese culture during their visit, which culminates in the annual Lilia festival in Kawaguchi.

Last year, the members of Donald Grass - a Kawaguchi-based bluegrass band who performs regularly in area schools - asked prominent Japanese bluegrass promoter Saburo “Sab Watanabe” Inoue to become involved in petitioning the Exchange Program to bring young US bluegrass players to Japan for the festival, July 27-28.

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The amateur bands chosen to participate are the Gallatin County Youth Bluegrass Band of Warsaw, KY (faculty sponsor Kim Samuel) and the Wheeling Park High School Bluegrass Band of Wheeling, WV (faculty sponsor Bob Turbanic).

Also making the trip is a teen supergroup composed of Sierra Hull on mandolin, her brother Cody Hull on guitar, Cory Walker on banjo, his brother Jarrod Walker on lead guitar, Christian Ward on fiddle and his brother Austin Ward on bass. Each has established themself as a true prodigy while still in school, and come from nearly every corner of the US.

- rest at www.thebluegrassblog.com/us-bluegrass-youth-heading-to-japan/