Hiromitsu Agatsuma (AGA-SHIO): The First Japanese Artist to Perform at National Arts Festival in South Africa on July 3.

TOKYO--Hiromitsu Agatsuma, in the 10th year of his solo career as a Shamisen player, has been on a 3-month tour across America, Europe and Africa, and he will finish the tour by appearing at the 35-year-old prestigious National Arts Festival held in the Republic of South Africa on July 3, 2010 as the first Japanese artist to be invited officially to perform there.

“Hana -Sora wo Mau Kaze no Gotoku”

Agatsuma will make the appearance at the 'world cup of music' as AGA-SHIO, the musical unit that he has formed with the pianist Satoru Shionoya. The sessions with different musicians and a workshop are expected to nurture new forms of music by blending the Japanese traditional elements that Agatsuma has to offer with other cultures.

Coinciding with the occasion, all of his albums including "THE BEST OF HIROMITSU AGATSUMA -Freedom-" (to be released Jul. 28, containing the new track "Hana -Sora wo Mau Kaze no Gotoku-") will be made available at iTunes stores worldwide by the end of July.

For more information:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=377564797&s=143462

http://www.youtube.com/user/agachannel

http://my.nationalartsfestival.co.za/events/event/14149

http://agatsuma.tv/profile_e/index.html

[Hiromitsu Agatsuma - Profile]

Tsugaru Shamisen player. Debuted in 2001, Agatsuma keeps exploring the traditions and innovation of the traditional Japanese instrument through collaborations with the artists from around the world and fusing the sounds of the West and East.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6347273&lang=en