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Earthquake, Tsunami Relief Fund-raising Concert Tonight

Washington and Lee’s departments of music and East Asian languages and literature will present a concert in Wilson Concert Hall at 5:30 p.m. today to raise funds for the victims of the  Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Julia Goudimova, cello, and Shuko Watanabe, piano, members of the W&L music faculty, will present works by Bach and Beethoven as well as Japanese composers.

Goudimova was born in Moscow and has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world. She now teaches cello privately as an adjunct at W&L and performs with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, University-Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra and Rockbridge Community Symphony Orchestra.

Watanabe received her early musical training in Japan, attending the Kunitachi School of Music under Noriko Kanayama as well as studying privately with the renowned Japanese pianist Shuku Iwasaki. She later studied at Peabody Conservatory of Music and earned a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. She is frequently engaged as a soloist, chamber-music performer and lecturer. She has appeared in Japan and throughout the United States. At W&L, she teaches courses in applied piano, aural skills (ear-training and sight-singing) and supervised accompanying, and is director of the accompanying program.

This free concert is open to all and will be followed by a reception of Japanese food donated by the Japanese community in Lexington. Donations will be collected or can be sent by May 23 to Dymph Alexander, c/o Music Department, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450. All donations will be sent to the Japanese Red Cross. Cash and check donations will be accepted. Please make out all checks to “Washington and Lee University (memo: Japanese Red Cross).”

Earlier this semester, four W&L organizations raised more than $1,800 to provide relief for victims of the disasters.