EUGENE, Ore. -- (April 8, 2011) - A roundtable discussion will be followed by a traditional Japanese concert in an afternoon and evening of Japan disaster relief events on Wednesday, April 13, at the University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

Five UO faculty members and a spokeswoman for Mercy Corps - a global disaster relief agency - will present "Tragedy in Tohoku: A Roundtable Discussion of the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster and its Aftermath." The informal talk will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

It will be followed by a solo concert by Mitsuki Dazai on the koto - a traditional, 13-stringed Japanese musical instrument made of kiri wood and played with three finger picks. The 90-minute concert will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public. Donations will be collected for Mercy Corps' Oregon Japan Relief Fund.

Participants in the panel discussion will be UO physics professor Greg Bothun; Jeff Hanes an associate professor of history; Karen Kelsky, advisor for the McNair Scholars Program at the University Teaching & Learning Center; Mark Unno, an associate professor of religious studies; geology professor Ray Weldon; and Lisa Hoashi, public information officer for Mercy Corps.

Dazai's solo concert will benefit her native Japan. She graduated from the Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, majoring in Western classical music, but was drawn to non-Western music and Japanese koto music. She pursued advanced studies in contemporary koto music at the Sawai Koto Conservatory in Tokyo, was schooled by modern koto masters Tadao Sawai and the world-renowned Kazue Sawai, and became a certified koto instructor.

Dazai moved to Oregon in 2002 and began to perform professionally in the U.S., Japan and Europe. She also serves as a guest lecturer at several universities in Oregon. She released the solo CD album "Autumn" in 2007, and co-released "Far Away ... Romances for koto" in 2010 with Grammy nominee Michael Hoppe.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Mosley, UO media relations, 541-465-9568, jmosley@uoregon.edu

SOURCE: Lori O'Hollaren, assistant director, UO Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, 541-346-1521, loholl@uoregon.edu