'Woman of Tokyo' to be presented with live film score Feb. 14

The next film in the Pickford Film Center’s beloved Masters of Japanese Cinema series will be presented with a live music score performed by Wayne Horvitz at Western Washington University. The event will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, in the Performing Arts Center.

"Woman of Tokyo," directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring 1930s film star Okada Yoshiko and famed actress Tanaka Kinuyo, will be presented as both a live concert and film in one night. The 1933 silent film focuses on Chikako (Yoshiko), who works tirelessly at an office job to support her brother, Ryoichi, as he completes school. However, through all of her sacrifices and work, Chikako holds a deep secret that could threaten everything.

This special screening will offer its audience an opportunity to experience this film like never before as accompanied by Horvitz’s score, which originally premiered at the Northwest Film Forum in 2005 and in New York City at the Winter Garden. Horvitz’s score for "Woman of Tokyo" is only one of his many works. Horvitz has performed and recorded music for a number of video, film, television and other multimedia projects.

The performance will be held at Western to accommodate Horvitz’s stunning grand piano and acoustic needs. Horvitz will be accompanied by his quintet in the PAC’s Concert Hall.

Horvitz is a composer, pianist and electronic musician who has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. He is the leader of the Gravitas Quartet, Sweeter Than the Day, Zony Mash, The Four plus One Ensemble and co-founder of the New York Composers Orchestra. He has performed and collaborated with Bill Frisell, Butch Morris, John Zorn, George Lewis, and Robin Holcomb, among others. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including two MAP grants and the NEA American Masterpiece award. He is the music programmer for The Royal Room, a performance venue in Seattle, and a professor of composition at the Cornish College of the Arts.

Tickets are $15 General Admission, $12 for PFC Members, and $10 for Students and are available at the box office of Pickford Film Center or at the PAC box office.

Woman of Tokyo and Wayne Horvitz’ and his quintet’s performance are made possible by a generous grant from The Japan Foundation, and presented in partnership with Western Washington University’s Department of Music.

Co-sponsored by Western Libraries and the Pickford Film Center, the Masters of Japanese Cinema series is one of the Pickford's longest running and most loved series. Jeff Purdue, who is both a librarian at Western and also the series curator, consistently selects some of the best films in World Cinema, featuring movies that span both decades and genres. Each film in the series begins with an introduction from select speakers including local professors, artists, and educators. To learn more about upcoming films featured in this series, click on this link or contact Jeff.Purdue@wwu.edu.