Opera North celebrates International Women’s Day with a very special event in the Howard Assembly Room on Saturday 9^th March: On an Endless Road, presented in the UK in association with Hera & Illuminate Women’s Music.

The concert brings together music by and about trailblazing Japanese women, including a new composition by the concert’s curator Francesca Le Lohé. Performed by renowned singer and biwa player Akiko Kubota, for whom the piece was written especially, Itō Noe: On an Endless Road celebrates the brief and inspirational life of writer and feminist anarchist Itō Noe (1895-1923), who challenged the social and patriarchal norms of the time and was a vocal advocate for women’s rights. Kubota sings the piece whilst also playing the satsuma biwa – a Japanese stringed instrument originally played by samurai, this is a rare and exciting opportunity to hear it played in this country.

This is Akiko Kubota’s first visit to the UK. The concert also features performances by acclaimed violinist Midori Komachi and pianist Yura Zaiki, as they perform music from three of Itō Noe’s contemporaries: Kōda Nobu, Toyama Michiko and Yoshida Takako, all inspirational women in their own right.