Date of Birth: 
About Elizabeth Falconer
- Elizabeth Falconer (born July 20, 1956) is one of the few American masters of the koto, a traditional zither from Japan.
- Unusually, she is licensed in two koto schools in Japan.
- She began playing the koto in 1979.
- She earned a junshihan (associate degree) from the Seiha Koto School, studying under Nagane Utayumi.
- This school focused on classical works.
- She later moved to Tokyo and studied under the esteemed Sawai Kazue and Sawai Tadao at the Sawai Koto School, and earned a Shihan (master's license) at the Sawai Koto School, which focuses on contemporary works.
- She is an admirer of the work of Sawai Kazue. Falconer holds a BA in Japanese Studies from the University of Oregon, an MA in Japanese Pedagogy, and a PhD in International Education, writing her dissertation on koto teaching methods in Japan.
- Her works for koto are published in Japan.
- She has earned numerous awards for her work combining Japanese folktales with original koto music and has produced over 10 albums on her label, Koto World.
Read more at Wikipedia