Pico Masaki is a singer songwriter from Japan, who spent several years travelling the world and is now living and performing in Canada. Playing piano since the age of five, Pico has performed at many music festivals in Japan, Australia and Canada. Her father is also a musician, a Shakuhachi flute master.
Since moving to Australia and now living in Canada, she has been focusing on playing an Asian traditional instrument called “Koto” (known as “Guzheng” in China). By playing this instrument she seeks to express the Japanese cultural concepts such as “Wabi-sabi” and “The pathos of things”.
Her style is unique as she tunes her Koto/Guzheng not only in a traditional way but also in a Western way (Do, Re, Mi, as if you tune a piano). This makes it possible for her to play multicultural music (traditional Celtic music, Latin and pop among other genres) to create a fusion of Western and Eastern sounds showcasing the diversity of the city and communities in which we live.
Pico has also performed at many charity events, such as Bridge to Fukushima (Fund-raising event for children of Fukushima ), Gaza-Ark（Fund-raising event for children of Gaza), March to Palestine, and Peace One Day.
Pico Masaki is one of the very few singer songwriters in the world who incorporate contemporary elements into Asian traditional instrument koto/guzheng and sing with it while maintaining her authenticity.
