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Portrait of musician and writer Katherine Whatley

I am a Japan based musician, artist and researcher.

I am a koto musician (13 string Japanese traditional transverse harp) and my musical interests include free jazz and improvised music, improvised music in the context of non-Western and folk musics, and Japanese jazz. I also have classical koto training. 

I write mainly about Japanese music, art and culture. My work has been featured in the BBC, Japan Times, Artsy, Hyperallergic, WeTransfer, Point of Departure, among others. I've also done research work for NPR, CNN, New York Times as well as many academics and artists working on Japan.

In addition, I am a PhD candidate at Stanford University in the East Asian Languages and Cultures Department. My research interests include musical motifs in Heian literature, East Asian music, the intersection of gender and music, and transcultural exchange.

I am always looking for new opportunities. Please contact me with any and all music, writing, translation, editing and interpretation projects, as well as musical opportunities.


ライター、箏奏者。
サンフランシスコ生まれ、東京育ち。コロンビア大学で東アジア言語文化と民族音楽学を専攻。在学中に日本のジャズと20世紀の音楽に関心を持つ。大学後、東京に戻り、箏の稽古に通うかたわら、新聞・雑誌へ日本の音楽・文化について執筆した。現在はスタンフォードで平安文学と日本の音楽を研究中。

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