July 16, 2003 For Immediate Release Contact: JLSF / (323) 466-1237 Iruka AURORA Concert in Los Angeles Saturday, September 20, 2003
2:00 pm
Benefit tickets: $100, $65, $50, $35
Tickets on sale now!Aratani / Japan America Theatre
244 So. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Ticket Office: Aratani/Japan America Theatre
Box office: (213) 680-3700 (Mon.-Sat. 12-5pm)Iruka, Japan's renowned singer and songwriter, will make her first appearance in Los Angeles at a benefit concert for the AURORA Foundation, who is celebrating its 5th Anniversary.
Iruka was born in Tokyo. She formed a folk group while she was at Art University for Women in Japan, she made her solo debut as a singer in 1974. The following year, in 1975, she had her first huge hit with "Nagoriyuki" (Lingering Snow) which established Iruka as a well-known singer. In 1978, her first son was born, and she left the spotlight for 2 years while caring for him.
To this day, she gives concert tours nationwide throughout Japan every year. She also participates in various charity activities, such as support for children afflicted by earthquakes, the relief for the destitute in Africa, and participation as a panelist on a symposium discussing environmental problems. She has published a children's picture book series entitled "Little Sky", a 4-book series. Iruka is also an essayist, and she calls upon her motherhood to pass on this quote, "We are all cells living and sharing this big planet together", which will be shared with countless people as generations go by.
Iruka will be performing a benefit concert for the Japanese Language Scholarship "Aurora" Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1998 for the purpose of encouraging Japanese language teachers and students of Japanese language education. Last year's 2002 "Aurora" benefit concert presented Yuzo Kayama, a Japanese Pop singer, at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and it was successful and well received. As a result, the Aurora Foundation raised enough funds to award three scholarship recipients with educational trips to Japan. The "Aurora" benefit concert in 2003 will coincide with the celebration of Iruka's 30th anniversary since her debut as a singer. Also this year she is making her debut acting in a major motion picture. The movie, "Chirusoku no Natsu" (The Chirusoku summer), will be out in theatres in Japan this summer. She is also being featured singing the movie's theme song, "Lingering Snow".
Message from Iruka:
Hello, everybody in Los Angeles! How are you? I learned about the Aurora Foundation and have been impressed by their purpose, so I am going to perform the Aurora benefit concert in Los Angeles at the first time. Because of many things happening now in the world, it seems to be becoming a hard place. Therefore, I hope that we have more places where we can share to understand how wonderful human beings are, and I would like to make this concert one of these places. Los Angeles is a place full of memories for me. I have visited here for three times to record some of my songs*, and I wrote several songs in Los Angeles. These songs will now be able to make their first visit on their home in Los Angeles! I would like to sing for you, from dear old songs to the new songs which were written from what I have been thinking recently.
* When Iruka recorded her songs in Los Angeles, she had the opportunity to have top American musicians join her on the recording, such as Russ Kunkel, a drummer for James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and many others; Craig Doerge, a keyboard player for Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Brown; Fred Tackett, a guitarist for Bob Dylan, Little Feat, and Boz Scaggs. They also joined Iruka's concert in Budoukan in Japan.
The Iruka Aurora Concert, presented by Aurora Foundation and produced by Creative Enterprise International, Inc., and The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, and Hiroaki Kaneko Office Co., Ltd. is a charitable fundraising event for the Japanese Language Scholarship "Aurora" Foundation. The benefit concert is supported by Consulate General of Japan Los Angeles, Japan America Society, Japan Business Association of Southern California, The Japan Foundation Los Angeles Office, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California, Japan External Trade Organization Los Angeles, LA TOKYO-KAI.
For more information, including sponsorship & group sales, please contact Aurora Foundation at (323) 466-1237 or by e-mail at AuroraFoundation@usa.net . Please check our website at www.jlsf-aurora.org
Ticket Office (Aratani/Japan America Theatre): (213) 680-3700 (Mon. -Sat. 12-5p.m.)
*Ticket price, less $50, are tax deductible
Tickets also available from:
Kinokuniya Bookstores: Little Tokyo (213) 687-4480, Costa Mesa (714) 662-2319
Nijiya Market: Torrance (310) 366-7200, Rolling Hills (310) 534-3000, Sawtelle (310) 575-3300, Puente Hills (626) 913-9991,
Sawtelle Books & Music (310) 477-8686,
Sanuki no Sato (310) 324-9184,
Genmai koso (310) 324-9777,
Kaede Shobo (310) 324-9892,
Book Value (310) 530-5343,
Yama Seafood (626)281-8045
