MEZAME FESTIVAL: Light in Darkness ~ The Piano of Music Ryuichi Sakamoto 2026

MEZAME NEW YORK 2026 presents Light in Darkness, an evening of Ryuichi Sakamoto's piano music performed by Vicky Chow. In the historic nave of St. Bartholomew's Church, Chow brings her crystalline touch and deep sensitivity to a program drawn from Sakamoto's most intimate and contemplative works — music that dissolves the boundary between silence and sound, between grief and grace.

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Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) was a composer, musician, and activist whose work spanned electronic pop, orchestral film scores, ambient music, and the avant-garde. From his early days with Yellow Magic Orchestra to his late solo piano works, Sakamoto pursued a restless, boundary-crossing art that sought beauty in impermanence. His final works, composed during his illness, achieved a luminous stillness that continues to resonate.

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Hong Kong/Canadian/American pianist Vicky Chow has been described as “brilliant” (New York Times) and “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” (Pitchfork). Since joining the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 2009, she has collaborated and worked with composers / artists / ensembles / orchestras such as Tania León, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, George Lewis, John Zorn, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Sasha Waltz Dance Company, Doug Varone Dance Company, BBC Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Symphonietta Riga, Alarm Will Sound, International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, Wild Up, Philip Glass Ensemble, Tyshawn Sorey, Andy Akiho, John Zorn, Gong Linna, Kronos Quartet, Longleash Trio, Trinity Choir, Wet Ink Ensemble, Yarn/Wire, Momenta Quartet among others.