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Ken Ueno

Boku no Idaho

(ボクのアイダホ)

for solo shakuhachi (any size) (2023)

Duration	7'
Publisher	PSNY

Media

Ken Ueno Composer · Boku no Idaho (ボクのアイダホ)

Program Note

In May 2022, I began working on a documentary about Paul Chihara, the only senior role model I have as a Japanese American composer. During that same month, my crew and I took Paul to revisit Minidoka, where he was incarcerated as a child during World War II. While there, my crew and I shot B-roll footage of the landscape, the remains of the internment camp, the dormitory area, and the mess hall. For these scenes, I felt it was most appropriate to use traditional Japanese instruments.

Earlier, I had made a short film featuring the dormitory area and the mess hall, for which I composed a piece for solo shō (mouth organ). There was one particular scene I knew I wanted to highlight: footage of the railroad tracks near Minidoka. These tracks are where Paul, as a young child, was brought to the camp by train. The image of these tracks has been ingrained in his psyche, haunting him with recurring nightmares throughout his life. I originally wrote a piece for solo shakuhachi to underscore this scene. However, after completing the composition and meeting the young virtuoso Reison Kuroda, who has since recorded this piece, I have greater hopes for the piece as a stand-alone concert work.

The title uses the pronoun "boku," the Japanese first-person singular diminutive possessive, implying "my Idaho" from the perspective of a young boy. The title also nods to the Keanu Reeves movie My Own Private Idaho, where beautiful footage of America's expansive landscape is ironically contrasted with the reality of it being a site of trauma.

– Ken Ueno

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Choral Booklet (Print)

Full Score in 3 volumes (Print)

Anthology edition (Print)

Choral Score (includes 4 copies) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (4 required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (4 required for performance) (Digital)

solo part and piano reduction (Digital)

solo part and piano reduction (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (6 scores required for performance) (Digital)

Performance Score (includes 4 scores) (Print)

Choral Scores (Digital - Bulk Purchase for Performance) (Digital)
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Pricing reflects cost of 5 digital scores.

Full Score/Performance Score (8 scores required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (5 copies required for performance) (Print)

Vocal Score - single copy (Digital)

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Vocal Score Set - License for 16 copies (Digital)

Vocal Score Set - 16 copies (Print)

Score (Digital)

Score (Print)

Volume 1 (Print)

Volume 2 (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 5 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (6 scores needed for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 6 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (price reflects 4 copies) (Digital)

Free ToneBase Digital Download (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (3 scores required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (3 scores required for performance) (Digital)

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Conductor Score (Print)

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Choral Score Set - 16 copies (Print)
Includes 8 copies of the soprano/alto part and 8 copies of the tenor/bass part.

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Full Score (4 needed for performance) (Print)

Parts (Mov. 11 only) (Print)

Full Score (3 scores needed for performance) (Print)

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Full Score/Performance Score (2 required for performance) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (2 required for performance) (Print)

Full Score/Performance Score (includes 3 copies) (Digital)

Full Score/Performance Score (includes 3 copies) (Print)

Choral Booklet (Digital)

Piano reduction and solo part (Print)

Study Score in Two Volumes (Print)

Video and instructions (Digital)

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Full Score/Performance Score (Digital)
The full score serves as a performance score for all players. A score PDF file is delivered via email upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. An email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer's email address.

Score and Parts (Print)
A print edition of the score and part(s) ship to the customer's address upon receipt. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase. The email containing a link to download the electronic files is sent to the customer.

Solo Instrument Score (Print)
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Full Score/Performance Score (Print)
The full score serves as a performance score for all players. Print edition(s) of the full score/performance score are shipped to the customer's address upon receipt. Multiple copies are included if the work has more than one player. Any electronic files associated with the work are included with every purchase.

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Study Score (print) (Print)

Choral Score Set- 8 copies (Print)
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SATB choral score (Print)

Vocal Score (Digital)

Vocal Score (Print)

Choral Score (Print)

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