“Bridging the Gap” is Kitamura’s new project concept conceived in 2024. Kitamura has always been interested in ways to bring people of diverse backgrounds and generations together, the main reason she has continued to pursue wordless vocal music – because language, while being an important tool to communicate, can also exclude.
Taking this a step further, and building on her experience honing her craft as a sideperson-vocalist under many musical elders, Kitamura expanded her activities to create opportunities to bridge the gap in performance settings. Kitamura recently took on a volunteer consulting role for the multi-generational and diverse Brooklyn Free Spirit Festival (July 12&13 at IBeam Brooklyn) as well as set up gigs for next generation musicians to perform with seasoned veterans at small NYC venues.
The first of these activities will happen on July 2, 2024 at the Downtown Music Gallery, where two Bennington College music students, Julius Boxer-Cooper (fl) and Paige Draiss (dms), will perform with veteran bassist Ken Filiano and Kitamura herself. The second will happen on July 13th, when Julius Boxer-Cooper will demonstrate an excerpt of a work by Anthony Braxton during the workshop segment of the Brooklyn Free Spirit Festival. Kitamura hopes to inject this concept into all of her future activities.