Sedona Music Festival 2025

Ken Koshio, born in Nagoya, Japan, has dedicated his life to fostering peace and cultural understanding through music and art since moving to the United States in 1998. Initially a folk-rock musician in Los Angeles, the events of 9/11 spurred him to create the Thousand Cranes Tour, delivering 10,000 origami cranes, folded by Americans along Route 66, to Ground Zero as a symbol of hope. This transformative experience led him to Phoenix in 2004, where he embraced his Japanese heritage, blending rock with traditional Japanese music and taiko drumming. He now shares his culture through workshops in schools and his dojo, teaching origami, calligraphy, folk tales, and music, while also collaborating with Native American artists to bridge cultural divides.

Koshio’s work extends beyond performance to include creating impactful cultural exchange projects like “Hiroshima Calling,” which brings atomic bomb survivor stories and exhibits to the US, particularly significant given the uranium used in the bombs originated from Native American lands. A certified Hiroshima Jidaiko teacher, the first outside Japan, he carries the legacy of his master, a Hiroshima survivor, preserving ancient taiko rhythms for a peaceful world. Recognized with awards like the Mayor’s Arts Award and a Guinness World Record for his participation in a world music orchestra in India, Koshio’s mission is to use art and music as universal languages for peace and cross-cultural communication.