My brand new Hichiriki Quartet features the Japanese double-reed wind instrument that carries the melody in most gagaku music, alongside a Western string trio of violin, viola, and cello.  This is my first foray into traditional Japanese instruments, following many years of working with Korea's gugak instruments.  Thomas Piercy, a hichiriki virtuoso, commissioned the quartet with support from the New York State Council on the Arts. He premieres it at the lovely, serene Tenri Gallery in the West Village.