Acclaimed Japanese American musician Kishi Bashi visits The Community Library as part of a multi-event trip to Idaho organized by Friends of Minidoka and the Minidoka National Historic Site. The event is in honor of the annual Day of Remembrance, which commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 that led to the exclusion, forced removal, and unjust incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

Kishi Bashi will present his award winning A Song Film by Kishi Bashi: "Omoiyari” followed by a discussion and live musical performance. “Omoiyari” is a Japanese word that means to have sympathy and compassion towards another person.

In A Song Film by Kishi Bashi: "Omoiyari”, Kishi Bashi embarks on a transformative journey to confront his heritage and reconcile the painful history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Inspired by the rising tide of discrimination against marginalized communities, Kishi Bashi delved into the untold stories of incarceration survivors and composed an album titled Omoiyari that captures their experiences.

This program is in person only.

Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi. Born in Seattle, Washington, Ishibashi grew up in Norfolk, Virginia where both of his parents were professors at Old Dominion University. As a 1994 graduate of Matthew Fontaine Maury High School, he went on to study film scoring at Berklee College of Music before becoming a renowned violinist. Ishibashi has recorded and toured internationally as a violinist with diverse artists such as Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and most recently, the Athens, Georgia-based indie rock band, of Montreal. He remains based in Athens.

Omoiyari is Kishi Bashi’s fourth album following the acclaimed 151a (2012), Lighght (2014), and Sonderlust (2016), which have garnered serious acclaim from outlets including NPR Music, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.