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Sonic Legacies Informing New Sounds

Published May 14, 2026 at 6:00 AM PDT
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One of Shirley's earliest music memories is squeezing herself between her mom and her koto. Shirley and all of her siblings started playing koto at a young age because of their mother's work as a koto teacher.
Cara Nguyen
One of Shirley's earliest music memories is squeezing herself between her mom and her koto. Shirley and all of her siblings started playing koto at a young age because of their mother's work as a koto teacher.

An Oakland musician challenges traditions, while also keeping them alive. Today, the music of World War 2 incarceration camps that helped Japanese Americans protest, connect, and heal. Then, Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the hit podcast Song Exploder, shares how the show, and his new album, came to be.

Crosscurrents